Housing

The Government says it wants a very large increase in the building of new homes, from current levels of around 130,000 a year in England (2008/9) to 240,000 a year – a total of 3 million new homes by 2020. Housebuilding covers more countryside than any other kind of development. Such a huge increase in housebuilding could sharply raise the rate at which countryside is built on and add to the environmental damage associated with housebuilding — more climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions, increased road traffic and congestion, more strain on water sources, and increased quarrying in the countryside.

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Housing supply
We have been working to develop alternative approaches to planning for housing which would give us all decent homes whilst protecting the countryside and the environment. We want to see policies which would create more affordable housing, make better use of previously developed or 'brownfield' land and promote urban regeneration.
> Our housing supply campaign

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Housing and urban sprawl
We want to stop the countryside being nibbled away by increasing urban sprawl from the pressure of new housing by promoting urban regeneration and making more use of previously developed 'brownfield' land instead of greenfields. Local councils – who make planning decisions – should put pressure on housebuilders to make these improvements.
> Our housing sprawl campaign

See also:

> Our Greenbelts campaign