Grey Belt?

[PARAGUAY]

It's looking like the new goverment is planning on concreting over the green belt to solve the housing crisis. So a new wording as been invented " grey belt", to keep objections to a minimum. Of course it's fine to some.if it's not your area but this policy is flawed
A new housing estate is built on the green belt the edge of this let's call grey belt. The builders love this because green built houses sell for more bigger profits and so on.... But the margins of the new estates then become the "New "grey belt 🤔 can see we're this is going .I think it was Andy Burnham who promised to throw out proposals on green belt building, let's see if he keeps his word
Question is how long before the builders stop building affordable homes anyway, profit before people , what happened to the brown field policy?

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

So a new wording as been invented " grey belt", to keep objections to a minimum.

Perfect, <"denigrate something"> and it is easier to destroy.

The strange thing is that it is <"Kier Starmer's"> "poor quality scrublands" that hold the little remaining biodiversity around our towns, most farmland really is a "green desert".

We already have "protected landscapes" - "National Parks" that are as <"intensively farmed as anywhere in the world">. We have <"Marine Conservation Areas"> with no statutory protection where fishing, including trawling, continues without check or balance etc.

In some ways it is always just words, it doesn't matter who is in charge* and all that matters is <"business as normal">.
* It does matter, but not as much as it should.

The builders love this because green built houses sell for more bigger profits and so on.... But the margins of the new estates then become the "New "grey belt 🤔 can see we're this is going

It is definitely the "slippery slope". I belong to user groups where most of the other members are Environmental Consultants and they have been scathing about <"Biodiversity Net Gain"> and say it "isn't working". Personally I'd say it is working exactly as intended, because it was intended not to work.

Question is how long before the builders stop building affordable homes anyway, profit before people

They aren't until they are forced to, they are like De Beers and diamonds, it is all about regulating supply, to keep demand high and prices up. Also they aren't interested in building on land they have <"land-banked">, they want to build on land that doesn't (at present) have planning permission.

what happened to the brown field policy?

Not that many "brown field" sites left and often the ones that are <"are of nature conservation value">, as well as being important <"unofficial green spaces"> in cities.

There is also the pollution issue on old gas works etc.

cheers Darrel

 

[Onoma1]

This research says it all. Rather than the private sector builders lacking land and being the solution they deliberately help caused and profited from the problem:

"According to the report, all three companies were transparent with shareholders about using their market power to withhold housing supply, change the terms of agreements made with local authorities in their favour, and to bring about favourable government mortgage policies like Help to Buy.

These policies, the authors argue, inflated the price of new builds and disproportionately benefitted the larger housebuilders. The three companies were also open with shareholders about how little competition they faced in the land market, which allowed them to keep down the price they paid for land and therefore maximise profits.

“Supernormal profits” of Britain’s biggest housebuilders

UK government support and lack of competition meant ‘big three’ housebuilders produced profit margins of between 17-32% per year for shareholders, analysis finds

www.cardiff.ac.uk

 

[PARAGUAY]

Very interesting information Darrel and Onoma1, Being a member of the Wildlife Trust l get a lot of updates and campaign news from them, in fact as you point out Darrel in Scrubland and it's biodiversity as a habitat is one area we're they are really campaigning. There was a plan to build on huge swathes of land in Greater Manchester , the mayor Andy Burnham due to protest backed off with no Green belt building, so be interesting to see how he stands now

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

This research says it all. Rather than the private sector builders lacking land and being the solution they deliberately help caused and profited from the problem

That is a depressing read- <"“Supernormal profits” of Britain’s biggest housebuilders">

It is back to the <"Thames Water issue">, control of a vital building block of infrastructure by a private companies. It just needs a government <"20% of Tory donations come from property tycoons"> big enough to do something about it.

cheers Darrel