House building is out of control

[Caterpillarsleftfoot]

Every where I turn at the moment the countryside is being turned into housing developments. If we carry on like this our habitats and green spaces will be decimated. Not to mention the flood risks. Also our beautiful rural way of life that we associate England with will be lost.

There is no way we need this many new developments. The latest one I saw is on the edge of a beautiful historical town in the countryside in a neighbouring county.

We need flats for council properties to save space and fewer air BnB properties.

I'm not a nimby, but I do dislike taking over valuable fields with badly built houses with a two cat driveway each. They should build like the Victorians did: streets of semi-detached and terraced homes that take up half the space of a normal new build estate.

Two car driveways*

I also think there are too many bloody dogs and cats but that's a problem for another thread.

About the same number of people die in the U.K. each year as are born, so any increase in numbers is coming from immigration.

@fingerguns I agree but that’s definitely for another thread 😂

Incorrect.

England: 434 people per sq km
Netherlands: 522 people per sq km

Also, there are huge discrepancies within England and even within cities, e.g.
Greater London 5596 people per sq km
Greater Manchester 2204 people per sq km

Plus the ever growing number of split families. What was once a single four person household now needs to be two three person households.

That is because one of the main problems in relation to housing in this country is immigration

Increasing population demands increasing housebuilding.

Building on farmland ➡️ less farmland for growing food ➡️ more imported food ➡️ food prices increasing ➡️ poor people unable to afford food.

Helps reverse the obesity crisis, I suppose.

Yeah its well known that obesity is caused by sprouts and carrots 🙄

Sugar beet.

The UK grows 50% of the sugar it consumes.

Local production (ie in the UK) is better for the environment than flying cane sugar from tropical climates.

Build on fields ➡️ reduce sugar beet production ➡️ increase sugar imports ➡️ increase in cost of sugar ➡️ reduced sugar consumption.

Sugar is found in so many processed foods that reduced sugar intake essentially means reduced food intake.

Lower calorie intake ➡️ greater weight loss.

Only for the poor though. The rich will be able to afford increased food costs.

But hey, who cares about the poor?

The government isn't concerned for the problems of the people. The government is concerned for the problem of the people.

There is approximately 25 million homes in the uk and they cover approximately 2% of the land. At current building rates it will take about 100 years to double the number of homes - but bear in mind that most new homes take up less ground than older ones. Any fears about the countryside disappearing are misguided.

Forget about London (having about 13% of the whole UK population living in one city is bloody bonkers anyway). There's plenty of towns and cities in England and throughout the UK where there is plenty of space to build a lot of housing. Boarded up high streets for starters.

I live in a City outside London. There is lots of building in unused spaces and old buildings. But it is all apartments aimed at either students or professional couples. Nobody is building family homes unless they are "executive" homes.

But it’s not just about the houses (and pathetic gardens) it’s about the infrastructure needed. Schools, doctors, hospitals, traffic congestion as the road structure can’t cope (leading to poor air quality). Lack of public transport.
The extra utilities. The additional strain on public services, ambulance, the police, fire. Mental health services. Building more shops, leisure facilities.

We need to stop the mass immigration. We’ve had massive immigration into our area. It’s completely fucked it up. Schools can’t cope, there’s not the teachers. Kids are being bused out of area.

If there is a need for new housing then the need remains whether or not you also provide extra infrastructure.

Yeah, this is the drawback to town centre residential - it's going to be predominantly flats and apartments.

But on the outskirts of town and city centres there's usually a lot of space/disused buildings where houses could be built. I know in the likes of Manchester though even that is just apartments galore, but it suits the needs of a lot of young urban professionals who work there/are students there.

This is where the more left behind towns and cities should be building loads of houses to attract families. It shouldn't be left to desecrating the countryside.

The housing estates pop up in really unsuitable places as well. Obviously put strain on the roads and public services and are often way too out on a limb for public transport anyway.

The same mistake was made in the post-war era with some of the new towns. Impossible to navigate without a diesel guzzling motorcar. Endless roundabouts and subways.

But the developers don't care about that, just the profits. Infrastructure should have to be factored into the planning consent.

Roughly 23% of the 98% of unbuilt land is classed as croppable.

Croppable land is generally flat as heavy machinery is used. You don’t see combined harvesters up hills in the Lake District for a very good reason.

Guess what type of land housebuilders prefer - flat or hilly?

They should build houses on Snowdon. The land is not croppable and at least it has a railway.

@User135644 those outskirts are being built on, but they always attract complaints from local residents when building happens. They tend to be 3 -4 bedroom houses and put pressure on infrastructure just like building in villages does. I live in the suburbs and our GP practice has officially closed their list because they can't safely take on anyone else. And getting a dentist, even a private one is not easy.
The issue is family homes converted into air bnbs and holiday homes. There are enough houses in Britain for people to live in.

I agree about building on golf courses.

It’s not just the countryside. London councils are building on green spaces rather than redeveloping old high streets and other sites. And they are doing it through the back door. One London council has put in shipping container houses for homeless people, but once the green space is concreted over and usef for a couple of years it will then have “permitted development “ so the council can sell it off to developers. Which of course they could never do as a green field site. So much for Labours green credentials

Those nice homes being built on nice fields are NOT social housing (they will add some flats and 3 2 beds to rent to meet quotas) round here - where we have new builds springing up like weeds, they are 4 or 5 bed 'executive detached' homes - not council/HA stock. They come with no new school, no new doctors, no new roads - just add to the stress and difficulties - nothing to do with 'immigration' more aspiring middle class types moving out of fancier areas to buy nice houses and then take school places!

I'd be happy if it was all council housing, for people here, whos kids already attend schools here, see GP's here and just need a place, or immigrants with no other choice - but this is being driven by people who want a 'posh' house

It's also fucking the housing market because any local people looking to move there have to add £50k+ onto the house they are selling to move - so prices have gone mad.

Build by all means but build for those who NEED

I hate it too. Beautiful countryside destroyed.

High streets tend to be privately owned. The council can not just build houses there. And where shops are converted into houses as has happened where I live, they are only ever rented to desperate people as no one wants to live there.