Ministers ready for a battle over greenbelt grab as they plan to seize land for housing and new airport

It is likely that Ministers are planning to seize chunks of the green belt to build housing developments and pave the way for a new hub airport, according to the Mail.  George Osborne plans to let ministers rather than local councils decide where to build hundreds of thousands of houses by reclassifying them as projects of national importance. and “boost growth”. The plans are due to form a centre piece of the Government’s new Bill to boost economic growth next month. There will be strenuous opposition from the National Trust and Campaign to Protect Rural England. The Mail says senior Tories say the party will go into the next election pledging a huge expansion at either Gatwick, Stansted or Luton airports, making one of them a multiple-runway hub airport.

 


 

 

Ministers ready for a battle over greenbelt grab as they plan to seize land for housing and new airport

By TIM SHIPMAN  ( Daily Mail )

23 August 2012

Ministers are planning to seize chunks of the greenbelt to build housing developments and pave the way for a new hub airport, the Mail has learned.

The Treasury is prepared to ‘have a fight’ with green campaigners by pushing through rules which would let ministers redesignate areas of greenbelt as available for development.

Chancellor George Osborne plans to let ministers rather than local councils decide where to build hundreds of thousands of houses by reclassifying them as projects of national importance.

The plans are due to form a centrepiece of the Government’s new Bill to boost economic growth next month.

They will enrage groups such as the National Trust and Campaign to Protect Rural England.

But Treasury sources say they are determined to press ahead because ‘having a fight with the critics will show the public that we are serious about  taking difficult decisions to boost growth’.

In the first move towards this  ministers will today back a report on the private rental sector by venture capitalist Sir Adrian Montague.

He says councils should waive the requirement for developers to devote 40 per cent of their projects to affordable housing when they are building homes specifically for rent.

Those demands are widely thought to be stalling projects that are ready to go because they have shrunk developers’ profit margins.

The report also recommends that the Government makes public land available to build rental accommodation and underwrites some of the risk of building developments.

The proposals were described by Housing Minister Grant Shapps as a ‘blueprint’ for boosting the housing market and the economy since it will give renters more choice. 

At present the limits of protected greenbelt land are set by local authorities but government sources say plans are afoot to carve areas out of the land to build houses while keeping its overall size the same.

One said: ‘You would take an area from one place and hand a bit back from somewhere else. At the moment you can do it in certain circumstances. We want to make it easier.’

Plans which affect the greenbelt will be controversial because the Tories pledged to protect it in their last election manifesto.

Chancellor George Osborne plans to let ministers decide where to build homes rather than local councils.

In addition ministers are examining plans to designate housing developments as infrastructure projects, so ministers, rather than town halls, would give final approval.

That would put them on the same footing as power stations, roads and airports, which are all regarded as developments where national need overrules local objections.

Senior Tories have also revealed that the party will also go into the next election pledging a huge expansion at either Gatwick, Stansted or Luton airports, making one of them a multiple-runway hub airport.

The Chancellor and David Cameron have ruled out a third runway at Heathrow as politically impossible because of the effect on voters in West London. 

They regard Boris Johnson’s plans for a hub airport in the Thames estuary as impractical since the proposed airport will clash with air routes into Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2192295/Ministers-ready-battle-greenbelt-grab-plan-seize-land-housing-new-airport.html

 

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Chancellor wants to let developers build on green belt

Times   23.8.2012  ( ££)

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/politics/article3516066.ece