Countryside campaigners, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) [1], expressed dismay today that the Government has gone against the wishes of many in Yorkshire and the Humber by announcing plans for housebuilding on a massive scale.

In The Yorkshire and Humber Plan the Government has decreed that the region must find space for 22,260 new homes each year [2]. This would mean nearly half a million new homes within the next 20 years – astonishingly, almost twice that originally proposed by the Regional Assembly in 2005. This is against the recommendations of an independent panel that a step change in housebuilding should not occur before 2011.

The scale and pace of development proposed has huge implications for the region’s countryside and quality of life. The Plan indicates that the extent of Yorkshire’s Green Belt may need to be reviewed to accommodate the new development.

CPRE recognises the need for new housing, and is at the forefront of groups campaigning strongly for more affordable homes in rural areas. The Government has imposed housing numbers on the region based on unrealistic assumptions about the region’s predicted economic performance. Yet, we cannot simply build our way out of what is essentially an affordability problem. With the growing importance of food security and in an era of future climate change, rather than squander scarce land resources on building ever more homes, the focus should be on providing the affordable homes the region actually needs.

Jenny Haynes, CPRE’s Regional Policy Officer, commented:

‘There is a huge contrast between what the Government says about devolving decision-making to local communities and the clunking fist of centralisation. Such disregard for the views of the region will make many wonder why they bothered to spend so long trying to achieve a consensus on a sensible strategy for Yorkshire and the Humber.’

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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. www.cpre.org.uk

2. The Yorkshire and Humber Plan http://www.goyh.gov.uk/goyh/plan/regplan/?a=42496

3. The Yorkshire and Humber Plan Draft for Public Consultation, December 2005; The Yorkshire and Humber Plan Examination in Public Report of the Panel, March 2007.