Greenfield building 'bad for countryside'

Countryside campaigners in the west Midlands are campaigning against new-builds being created on greenfield land.

The Regional Assembly in the west Midlands is under pressure to increase housing levels from the government, but campaigners from the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) say that an increase on this scale would wreck prospects for urban regeneration and may ruin the countryside.

It will lead to property builders cherry-picking the best sites within greenfield areas which might even include green belt areas, according to the lobbyists.

Peter Langley, from CPRE, said: "We support urban regeneration, but there is a tipping point.

"You reach a level where cities and towns cannot support additional housing and you are forced to release greenfield sites."

He said that the Regional Assembly should listen to local people and local authorities and send a strong message to government that high housing numbers and unsustainable communities on greenfields go together.


© Adfero Ltd