Doubts expressed over south-east housing plans

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has voiced its fears over plans to increase the number of homes set to be built in south-east England over the next 20 years, saying that such plans will jeopardise the environment.

CPRE South East has said that proposals, which will see the number of homes being built every year in the region increased from 28,000 to 32,000 per year, should aim to build around 75 per cent of homes on brownfield land, rather than the current target of 60 per cent.

A review of greenbelt areas in some regions was also worrying, the CPRE said.

"There will be huge pressures on resources and infrastructure, such as water and transport, and large areas of valued countryside, including the internationally important Thames Basin Heaths, are under serious threat. We urge the government not to accept the proposed increase in numbers," commented CPRE South East director Edward Dawson.

However, with the government looking to build 38,000 houses per year in the region, it seems unlikely that it will reject the latest plans on the grounds that they are too high.


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