Releasing 1.4% of greenbelt could deliver 1m homes – Matthew Evans quoted in Property Week

Planning Counsel, Matthew Evans, has been quoted by Property Week reacting to a recent report that has revealed that building on just 1.4% of the green belt, would accommodate the government’s target of 1m homes before the next general election.

The research, conducted by Wood Harwick, claims that only 8.7% of England’s land area is of development use, compared to 12.5% which is designated as green belt. They therefore believe that building on the green belt is a solution that has been largely overlooked.

In response to this, Matthew commented ‘We need to be looking at land across the board, considering and balancing its relative value and the potential contribution it can make to housing our growing population. Not all green belt is created equal, and we need to move to a place where the quality of greenbelt is graded.’

This article was first published in Property Week on 24 August 2023 and is available to read in full here, behind their paywall.