Labour’s housing plan: How we’ll protect our natural spaces and free up grey belt land for building
Under the Tories, Britain faces a housing emergency that has left millions unable to plan their lives, start families, or build a future for themselves and their kids.
After 14 years in power, the Conservatives have saddled the country with a chronic shortage of homes, and the housing emergency is only getting worse under the Tories, with the dream of home ownership pushed further out of reach.
The current planning system isn’t working. The Tories allow developers a free-for-all on the best quality land, with development that is haphazard and unplanned, and often leads to local opposition.
Keir Starmer’s Labour Party will do things differently. Labour has a plan to get Britain building again by introducing a better system, that builds homes local people can afford, delivers new infrastructure and improves green spaces.
Will Labour preserve the green belt?
Labour is committed to preserving the green belt which has served England’s towns and cities well over many decades. Under the Conservatives, green belt land is regularly released for development but haphazardly and often for speculative housebuilding. Without changing its purpose or general extent, Labour will take a more strategic approach to greenbelt land designation and release to build more homes in the right places. The release of lower quality ‘grey belt’ land will be prioritised and we will introduce ‘golden rules’ to ensure development benefits communities and nature.
How many homes will Labour build?
Labour’s housebuilding targets will see one and a half million new homes built within the first five years of a Labour government, delivering the biggest boost to affordable housing in a generation, creating new towns and ensuring first dibs for first-time buyers.
How Labour will protect nature
Whilst Britain enjoys remarkable natural beauty, the Conservatives have left Britain one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. As part of our plans to improve responsible access to nature, Labour will create nine new National River Walks, one in each region of England, and establish three new National Forests in England, whilst planting millions of trees and creating new woodlands.
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