Hertfordshire county council and St Albans district council have issued a legal challenge to the government over its regional spatial strategy in the East of England plan. The councils object to designations for 12,000 additional homes in Hemel Hempstead, 10,000 in Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield, and 7,200 in St Albans claiming it will add
House builders are likely to become more conservative and turn their backs on major regeneration schemes in response to the recession, according to research by Knight Frank. House builders and developers will look to smaller scale and lower density developments, particularly on greenfield sites. And with values dropping by as much as 70 per cent,
The latest government figures have revealed an increase in the use of brownfield land during 2008. London has the greatest proportion of dwellings built on previously developed land, while East Midlands has the smallest. Across the country 78 per cent of dwellings were built on previously used land, up from 77 per cent in 2007.
The government has released the latest statistics on green belt land. Green belt land makes up 13 per cent of the land area of England by 31 March 2009, an increase of more than 3,100 hectares in annual figures – with the North West showing the largest increase and the East Midlands the largest decrease.
The value of development land fell by an average of 50 per cent during 2008, research from Knight Frank has found. Every region was affected – prime London, which had remained relatively resilient, has the largest drop with land falling 33 per cent on average in the final three months of 2008. Urban land values
A Campaign to Protect Rural England study has accused developers of concreting over greenfield land, rather than build on brownfield sites, because the land is easier to build on and the houses can be sold for more. The CPRE wants tighter restrictions on the scale, location and timing of greenfield land release and more incentives
A recent decision by Rushcliffe borough council to refuse planning permission for a 1,200 home development on green belt land has been overturned by communities secretary John Denham. The local authority had thrown out the scheme on the grounds that it would have created traffic and resulted in a loss of green belt land, however,