DESPITE a surge in demand for time in green space, the green belt is facing extreme and sustained pressure, says the countryside charity Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE).
Its annual State of Greenbelt 2021 report reveals there are currently 257,944 homes proposed to be built on land removed from the green belt – more than four times as many as in 2013.
And it says with only one in ten considered affordable, these new homes will do little to tackle the affordable housing crisis.
The report comes at a time when Solihull’s green belt is braced to take more houses under the borough’s Local Plan.
Nationally, the CPRE says the loss of countryside near where people live is in direct contradiction to overwhelming demand for access to quality time in green space and nature. A new poll, conducted by Opinium on behalf of CPRE, found more than two thirds of adults think protecting and enhancing green spaces should be a higher priority after lockdown.
