How Will Labour Tackle UK's Crippling Housing Crisis?

Now that Labour have won the General Election in a landslide victory, their plans to solve the housing dilemma in the UK can begin. Labour’s manifesto includes a target of 1.5 million homes within the first five years of government, and they suggest that a number of these new (and affordable) homes could be created on grey belt land.

What is The Grey Belt?

The “grey belt” is a term created to refer to poor quality, or unattractive areas, such as disused car parks, wasteland, empty garages or otherwise unused and uncared for areas that are located on protected land known as the Green Belt.

Critics have suggested that this may increase the appeal of green belt land to developers, who as the landowners, may become encouraged to neglect land in order for it to fall under the definition of “grey belt”.

The first stage of any building work is land surveying. Our prediction is that parcels of land that were previously restricted from residential development will now be eligible for development. Topographical surveys will be essential for the planning of these new developments.

EAP offer a full surveying service, initially providing a topographical survey, to assess the extent of the proposed land for development.  Our team of architectural designers, building and land surveyors and structural engineers, are well acquainted with the Local Authorities in your area, and so are best placed to also assist you with Planning Permission and Building Regulations.

How Many Homes Could Fit On Grey Belt Land?

Whilst Labour has coined the term “grey belt land”, as a new category of land, the grey belt is not officially quantified. Estimates from Knight Frank suggest that there are around 11,000 previously developed sites, the majority of which are in the south of England, that could account for 100,000 to 200,000 new family homes. Land Tech suggest that  Labour’s plan includes requiring 50% of the homes built on grey belt to be affordable, with rents set at least 20% below the local market rate.

While the idea of building on green belt land remains controversial, some argue that perceptions are changing, and there is a growing acceptance that repurposing low- quality areas within the green belt may be necessary to address England’s housing needs in the modern world.