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 build on the green belt?
Labour will not build on genuine nature spots and will set tough conditions for releasing green belt land for house building so that building more homes and protecting nature go hand-in-hand.
Labour is committed to prioritise building on brownfield land first, but we can’t build the homes that Britain needs without also releasing some greenbelt, including poor-quality land, car parks and wastelands currently classed as green belt.
We will make improvements to existing green spaces, making them accessible to the public, with new woodland, parks and playing fields.
What is the grey belt?
The term ‘grey belt’ refers to neglected areas such as poor quality wastelands and disused car parks that are in the greenbelt. These are places that we could build one, whilst we improve and protect genuine nature spots.
Labour is not alone in recognising this distinction: the Chair of Natural England has called for green belt release to support the housing crisis, noting there is no inherent trade-off between building homes and protecting 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.
Labour’s five golden rules for housebuilding
Labour’s housebuilding targets will adhere to five guiding principles to ensure that the new affordable homes are built in a way that protects natural green spaces and doesn’t put undue pressure on public services and infrastructure.
1. Brownfield first
Within the green belt, any brownfield land must be prioritised for development.
2. Grey belt second
Poor-quality and ugly areas of the Green Belt should be clearly prioritised over nature-rich, environmentally valuable land in the green belt. At present, beyond the existing brownfield category the system doesn’t differentiate between them. This category will be distinct to brownfield with a wider definition.
3. Affordable homes
Plans must target at least 50% affordable housing delivery when land is released.
4. Boost public services and infrastructure
Plans must boost public services and local infrastructure, like more school and nursery places, new health centres and GP appointments.
5. Improve genuine green spaces
Labour rules out building on genuine nature spots and requires plans to include improvements to existing green spaces, making them accessible to the public, with new woodland, parks and playing fields. Plans should meet high environmental standards.
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