The is english countryside is sick. It may seem like the day never passes without his green and pleasant land falling prey to the menace of wind farms, coal mines, solar panels and residential complexes. Looks like Boris Johnson want turbine in every field. Liz Truss wanted “investment zones” even in protected areas. Rishi Sunak called for 300 000 new at home year until he did.
This week new environment secretaryTeresa Coffey, failed to enlighten the House of Commons committee on her policy for farms given the devastation of Brexit. meanwhile, environment secretary Michael Gove, found he himself capitulated to onshore wind farms one minute and coal mine in whitehaven next. As for Keir Starmer of Labor, he attacked Sunak for abandoning housing goals the same week he said he would stop telling local councils what to do.
The main problem is that the English countryside is not a renewable resource. To end of in last century was general presumption that “country” was exclusively for agriculture, recreation and natural beauty. creation of urban and rural planning was a vaunted reaction to interwar sprawl.
Until recently the area of recognized as “natural beauty” were relatively safe. Not any more. According to their advocate, CPRE, each year since 2017-18 in England on average of 1,670 housing units approved in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) – annual loss. of 119 ha of supposedly protected landscape. Development in Cotswolds AONB, mostly of “executive homes”, tripled in in past five years.
vernacular growth of existing settlements that can be encouraged in France and Germany become in England spineless splatter of estates modeled after the book dropped in fields under dictate of Whitehall inspectors. One consequence of this is the announcement by the Natural History Museum of Great Britain “one of majority nature-depleted countries in Europe”, with 40 million birds that have apparently disappeared from its skies since 1970.
As a result, a recent Ipsos survey showed 57% of people felt that he gave priority to “opinions of local residents or protection countryside” should take precedence over fulfillment of housing tasks, with only quarter believing housing numbers were the only priority. For now public policy works in opposite direction. There is no minister for in countryside only for actions that destroy it. Lobbying for new at home developer-vel, with builders among the Tory party are the most generous donors. They crave open fields. All the stories about the “housing crisis” are illustrated by new building. This despite fact what in 2020, new assemblies were only 7% of housing deals in England.
Britain is among the most extravagant users of land plot in Europe. London has just a quarter in population density of Paris, that’s why it’s constantly expanding. Smart Housing policy will focus on fixing low density and inefficient employment, not least thousands of empty properties. Meanwhile developer the pressure is holding new buildings for free of VAT will be charged in full on modifications or upgrades. It interferes with housing economy and sustainability. similar stamp duty is a deterrent for the most urgent need which for older people cut. british housing policy distorted and corrupted, building at home for rich and ignoring the poor.
result constant pressure to invade the now virtually defenseless countryside. In his previous incarnation in agriculture, the current planning secretary, Michael Gove, suggested a thoughtful replacement for EU common agricultural policy (LID). His “Eco-Land Use Scheme” (elms) shifted focus of subsidy from food production to “public goods”, encouraging farmers to protect the landscape and nature, grow hedges and forests, promote wildlife and take care of public awareness. BUT year of The ruins of Downing Street blew it good meaning out of water. Coffey hinted this week that anything can remain as they were under CAP “management” subsidies. Other recipe for chaos.
There are marches now over on the Horizon Community Planning Alliance, with 500 local bands across the UK. this is part of tough response to Whitehall’s housing targets for local councils. The Conservative MPs said that was enough, and Sunak capitulated out of fear: the goals are now just “recommendations”. Ironically, at the same time, Sunak caving. in to the opposite lobby that of other deputies who want more wind turbines spoil the countryside although “where the locals people agree”.
What clear what is not in Britain way of identify and decide which parts of in countryside should qualify for constant protection and which can be opened to varying degrees of development. In cities, architectural monuments and protected areas are protected. Heritage is valued. Built-inup historical Britain is probably safe for Ever.
The same is not true of “historical” landscape. Least outside national parks, none of them are “listed”. AONB, nature nature reserves, green belts, river valleys and pleasant areas of fields and trees always more vulnerable to speculative developers. They are buy earth and game on receptive local advice or change in government policy. Just like once the meadows were sacrificed out-of- city gas stations and supermarkets – half of they are now obsolete, so they are now vulnerable to latest temporary but irreversible invasion.
The only solution is zoning, declare lots of countryside as inviolable, and others as safe from anyone but himself critical Application. Lots of of land suitable for development will be leftboth “green” and “brown”. Mainly house building should be limited within cities, sustainable, “compacting” existing sites and using existing infrastructure. Rural Britain will be forced to correctly assess what survives of its natural look, heritage for future generations.
