Our CEO Paul Campbell featured on Channel 4 News on Friday as part of a special report examining the impact of the Government’s grey belt policy, 18 months after its introduction.
The report looked at communities across England where land currently designated as Green Belt is being considered for development, and highlighted the difficult balance between protecting places that people value and finding the land needed to tackle the housing crisis.
Residents in Essex, Kent and Greater Manchester spoke passionately about the green spaces they use for walking, cycling and spending time with their families. While many acknowledged the need for more homes, their message was clear: new housing needs to be in the right places, accompanied by the right infrastructure and include homes that local people can afford.
Paul was invited by Channel 4 to provide an industry perspective. He highlighted the limitations of relying on brownfield land alone and why some Green Belt locations inevitably need to form part of the conversation:
“Green Belt is generally around the big cities in the country. It is where the jobs are. It’s where the housing need is in the greatest demand. So that’s why we’re seeing things come forward, because the crisis is now.”
Paul also raised an important point about whose voices can sometimes be missing from debates about new development:
“The people who are not being heard are the younger people and the people that don’t have a home, that don’t have a stake in that community but want a stake.”
At Richborough, we identify the right locations for development and create well-designed, sustainable places that respond to housing need while delivering wider benefits for communities.
Read and watch the Channel 4 coverage on this link: https://channel4news.substack.com/p/revealed-land-redesignated-to-help