Green Party respond to new government brownfield development consultation

In response to government proposals announced today, where Councils would be required to approve new development on brownfield land even if it fails to meet standards for decent quality homes; be encouraged to repurpose former commercial buildings into flats; and remove restrictions on how big a building can be before a developer has to apply for planning permission [1], Green Party co-leader, Carla Denyer, said:

“Greens believe that tackling the housing crisis while ensuring green spaces are protected requires local councils and government to sign up to a new Right Homes, Right Place, Right Price Charter [2].

“Brown field sites are definitely the right place to prioritise new or repurposed housing. However, they must be the right homes – decent homes built to the highest environmental standards to bring down energy bills. Developments must also provide the kind of housing where people actually want to live – then it will be supported by local communities. We must not allow developers to ride roughshod over local wishes. Windowless bedsits in converted office blocks that fail to meet decent space standards will not be considered the right homes for the vast majority of people.

“Not once in the Government’s new consultation on developing on brownfield sites is the word ‘affordable’ mentioned. Affordability is fundamentally important. This means a huge increase in new social housing, and ending the Tories ‘Right to Buy’ policy on these homes, which is causing a massive nationwide reduction in council housing [2]. Councils must also be given powers to introduce rent controls in areas where private rents are out of control, alongside a ban on no-fault evictions to stop unscrupulous landlords making tenants homeless just so they can increase rents between tenancies.”

Notes: