Wednesday 27 August 2014

New £200 million fund to protect the Greenbelt

Our campaign to protect Northumberland’s greenbelt has received a major boost as the Government has announced a new fund to promote development on brownfield sites.

Councils across the country can now bid for government funding to build thousands of new homes on brownfield land. The £200 million fund will be shared between up to 10 new housing zones, all which must be outside of London. It is hoped the sites will deliver between 7,500 and 20,000 homes.

Since 2010 the government has taken a number of steps to make sure that brownfield land as possible is prioritised for new housing development. By 2015 100,000 new homes will have been constructed on previously developed state owned land. If we are to protect the greenbelt here in Northumberland we must see the Council
plan to develop more brownfield sites.

The Planning Minister, Brandon Lewis, said “We need to build more homes in this country, but it’s also vital we protect the countryside that people rightly treasure. That’s why the government is offering councils a share of £200 million to prioritise development on brownfield land. The new dedicated housing zones will transform
disused and derelict land, and ensure the new homes are built quickly in a process that is more straightforward for councils and builders."

This is another valuable step to protect our greenbelt. I am delighted by this funding announcement which will
further help protect the greenbelt. I have written to Northumberland County Council to encourage them to prepare a bid for this project. Across the country the level of greenbelt development is at its lowest rate since records began in 1989. As it stands the Council’s draft housing policies are simply unsustainable.