In their latest report, the Housing and Finance Institute is advocating to force local authorities, government and public bodies to increase the supply of land for housing and to make changes to the planning rules on land use, including developing on the Green Belt.
The expert housing organisation’s report insists that brownfield sites alone will not meet the ever-increasing demands for new homes, therefore it is paramount that the debate around Green Belt use is broadened.
The housing market, as many aspiring first-time buyers know, is a very expensive ladder to step onto with house prices having increased year on year since 2007. This exponential increase has largely been fuelled through a lack of housing supply and a cumbersome planning process.
It is clear that the release of Green Belt land, particularly those sites which do not meet the five Green Belt functions, will be vital in increasing housing supply.
The Pre-Submission version of the Poole Local Plan came forward with the Council’s “Exceptional circumstances to amend the South East Dorset Green Belt” paper. The paper, as noted in the Pre-Submission Local Plan, recognises the exceptional circumstances for Green Belt release to help deliver much needed new housing in Poole especially in the context of under delivery of affordable and family homes over recent years.
The release of Canford Park will ensure the much-needed and timely delivery of affordable housing which will provide critical to the effectiveness of the Poole Local Plan.