Stronger Green Belt Protection ‘Vital to Climate Change Campaign’

Published on: 4 Jul, 2019
Updated on: 5 Jul, 2019

Local authorities in London and the Home Counties which have declared a “climate emergency” in their districts, and propose to adopt strategies and action plans to tackle climate change, are being urged to include policies of stronger protection for green spaces in their plans, because these provide vital climate change mitigation.

The London Green Belt Council (LGBC), which represents more than 100 environmental and community groups across the region, warns that some local councils are being inconsistent by declaring a “climate emergency” but failing to prevent development on green belt countryside and open spaces which provide vital mitigation for climate change.

Some of these local authorities are even putting forward large swaths of green belt land for housebuilding despite their professed commitment to environmental protection.

Green belt land in Guildford Borough.

LGBC chair Richard Knox-Johnston said: “The green belt is a vital green lung for people in London and the wider South-east. Protecting green spaces makes a hugely important contribution to people’s health and well-being as well as maintaining essential eco-systems and providing wildlife corridors.

“Green spaces help to mitigate climate change because carbon is absorbed by vegetation and held long-term in soils. They also help us adapt to climate change by absorbing rainwater and cooling our towns and cities.

“The more green space we lose, the more we are at risk from flooding and rising temperatures, two of the predicted effects of climate change

“District and borough councils are absolutely right to recognise the seriousness of climate change and to acknowledge the role that local government can play in tackling the climate crisis, but if they do not also pledge to defend the green belt and countryside from development then they are failing in their duty to protect our communities and environment.”

Protestors carrying the Guildford Schools Strike 4 Climate Change Banner in April

The LGBC is calling on all local authorities to state categorically that climate change mitigation requires the protection of green belt countryside and open spaces, and to agree to block developers’ proposals for building on green belt land.

This is especially important, the LGBC points out, at a time when London itself needs to become more resilient to climate emergencies which means it needs to have plenty of green spaces around it.

Mr Knox-Johnston added: “Giving up green belt to development is an easy answer to the housing shortage but actually it does nothing to improve the affordability of housing. All it does is leave communities with less greenspace. In fact, there has never been a greater need to protect the green belt from development.”

The LGBC is working with a wide range of partner organisations to produce a consultation paper setting out “A Vision for the Future of London’s Green Belt”. This emphasises the green belt’s value for health and well-being, biodiversity and environmental sustainability, and its crucial importance to the fight against climate change.

Cllr Diana Jones

Diana Jones, the Green Party borough councillor for Tillingbourne, was asked how she assessed the conflicting priorities of meeting the housing targets as set out in Guildford’s Local Plan, and the need to protect the environment.

She said: “There is no doubt that we need more, mostly affordable houses especially for key workers, young professionals and first time buyers, and also no doubt that building it in the traditional way is going to cause damage to the Environment, both in the long and the short term.

“Government has been putting pressure on councils to take more land out of the green belt, in effect prioritising the need to build houses over protection of the environment.  For Guildford this has resulted in the unpopular Local Plan which takes three large swaths out of our green belt in an attempt to meet the 10,000 homes target that the area has been given by the government.

“Whether this actually delivers the affordable housing we need is disputed by the Campaign for Rural England (CPRE) where recent analysis shows that only 22% of the homes planned on land released from the green belt would meet the government’s definition of “affordable”, ie 80% of market value, which to most in the South-east of the country is not affordable at all.

“If what is wanted is quality homes that can be provided quickly and easily with minimum impact on the environment, companies like Zedpods offer to build on existing carparks and hardstanding.   Companies like these provide high-performance, low-energy housing delivered in a fraction of the time, and at a fraction of the cost,  often on raised platforms that enable the car park to continue to be used as a car park.

“Fulfilling our housing quota does not need to mean building acres of brick and mortar housing estates on green field plots, where everyone needs a car or more per household, and all the pollution and congestion that goes with that.

“It can be far more practical and far more eco-friendly. A serious desire to build enough for the ever-increasing population without destroying our patch means embracing the current technology.

“Of course, the traditional wisdom that you must build on brownfield sites before green, still holds.   Build in the town before you consider the green fields.  But the council must also look at a masterplan for Guildford Town Centre, an essential for “joined-up” development, but resisted by some councillors and officers.

“Then they must look at the “super-insulated envelope” the triple-glazed windows,  the ventilation heat recovery,  solar,  and photovoltaic roof tiles,  power walls, carbon-neutral houses, and practical building for value, rather than building for profit.

“Technology which was considered ‘cutting edge’ 10 years ago is now affordable and available, whereas taking land out of the green belt does little to satisfy the housing need, and does a lot to damage the countryside that we all depend on.”

Cllr Jan Harwood, Lib Dem lead councillor for planning, has been invited to comment.

For further information on the work of the LGBC, go to www.londongreenbeltcouncil.org.uk

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