Countryside campaigners CPRE [1] have today expressed dismay at plans for a massive increase in housing numbers in the region.

Targets for the number of new homes to be built in the region – compiled by Yorkshire and the Humber Regional Assembly with involvement from a wide range of stakeholders in the region [2] – have been thrown out by the Government who have announced plans for housebuilding on a massive scale to meet Gordon Brown’s pledge for three million new homes in England by 2020.

From next year, Yorkshire and the Humber must find space for 22,140 new homes each year. This will mean nearly half a million new homes within the next 20 years – almost twice that originally proposed by the Regional Assembly.

The Government admits such huge levels of housebuilding may require a review of the Green Belt in West Yorkshire.

CPRE warns that this will lead to developers ‘cherry picking’ greenfield sites in response to market demand, and not to the provision of affordable housing where it is needed most. The long-term implications for the countryside, the environment, the Green Belt and for urban regeneration in the region could be catastrophic.

And housing is only part of the story.  With new housing would come new roads and associated infrastructure, such as schools, shops and community facilities. This means more cars, noise, lights and pollution, all of which would add to the devastating loss of the region’s precious countryside.

Gill Stride, CPRE’s Policy Officer for Yorkshire and the Humber, said:

‘This would be an exorbitant price to pay for meeting the Government’s housing requirements.  They say they want brownfield sites used first and have recently reaffirmed support for the Green Belt.  But if the hike in housing numbers is pushed through, these objectives will be fatally undermined, giving way to another wave of urban sprawl, long-distance commuting and congestion – the very last thing Yorkshire and the Humber needs.

‘We must be sure the scale of development is genuinely needed, is built in the most suitable locations, where it can contribute to urban renewal, and that the environment has the capacity to accommodate it.’

CPRE is urging people to contact the Government to make their feelings known by responding to this consultation. The consultation on the proposals runs until 21 December, 2007. 

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NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England. We advocate positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside. Founded in 1926, we have 60,000 supporters and a branch in every county. President: Bill Bryson. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen.

2.  For further information on The Yorkshire and Humber Plan: The Draft Revised Regional Spatial Strategy incorporating the Secretary of State’s Proposed Changes go to:
http://www.goyh.gov.uk/497763/docs/199734/199799/409310/599436/599441