The government’s plan to meet housebuilding targets by building on the so-called grey belt is “rushed” and “not properly thought through”, according to a Lords committee report.
The grey belt policy is also unlikely to make any significant difference in the number of new homes that can be built, the report from the House of Lords cross-party Built Environment Committee said.
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Building on land described as the grey belt, such as ugly areas of green belt land, disused car parks and petrol stations, was one way the government said it could reach its targets of building 1.5 million homes by the end of this parliamentary term in 2029.
The policy was seen as a way to build in the green belt, an area of wild or agricultural land designated as a buffer between towns with tougher planning controls, by marking out some suitable areas for development within it.
More than 30 home builders signed a statement supporting reintroducing mandatory housing targets and releasing grey belt land from planning rules.
But the Lords committee said the government “appears to lack a sufficient understanding of the implications of introducing multiple intersecting planning policies at the same time”.
This compromises the government’s ability to deliver “any of its policies in a coherent way”, it added.
The report said it was unclear how much environmental concerns and worries about access to infrastructure such as public transport, schools, and parks had been considered.
“The government also does not seem to have any plan to measure progress or determine the success of…
