To find the extent of planned housebuilding terrifying?

[IRememberWhenThisWasFields]

NM for this as I don't want my previous posts to be too outing of where I live. Hope that's okay.

The background is that I live in a semi-rural area in England, in a village of approximately 2,000 people. It doesn't even have a shop. Our nearest town is about 10-15 mins walk away, population already around 20k. In recent years the town has increasingly encroached on our village.

Currently, the local council is having a consultation of where future housebuilding should take place, and I'm honestly so shocked at the amount of land that has been offered up.

Farmland on what feels like all directions has been earmarked for largescale future development. I know that we have a housing crisis in this country, but I feel like I could cry.

Many of the areas are where I've spent countless happy hours walking and where I regularly see owls, hares, deer and foxes. It's well known that access to nature and green spaces is hugely beneficial to one's mental health, and to think that these wonderful quiet, peaceful, green areas could be lost for more houses, traffic, pollution, noise, likely crime...it's just so sad.

And of course, it all comes from the national government and their target of wanting to build over one million more houses this government, no matter where they're placed, and seemingly with very little thought for infrastructure or how small communities are changing almost beyond all recognition. How people who've lived in these communities for generations are increasingly turning to anti-immigration rhetoric from parties like Reform, in part due to their areas changing so rapidly.

All anyone can say is "we need more houses"...yes, but is the only solution the increased destruction of our countryside? When will it end?

I know people currently searching for a house or who are used to living in built up areas will have no sympathy with this. I know I'll already get the predictable response of "well, your house probably used to be a field", ignoring the simple fact that we now have far less space than we did 50 or 100 years ago.

But AIBU, or does anyone else feel a similar way to me?

the only solution the increased destruction of our countryside? When will it end?

The only alternative is much denser housing. I am guessing op that you are lucky enough to live in a bigger house rather than a very tiny flat? If so, you are probably taking more than "your share" of the available space.

Where i live developers keep building huge 5000 sq foot mini mansions. This should be banned in favour of building several more modest 3 and 4 bed family homes on the plots instead.

I would love to know what sort of house all these posters suggesting everyone else should live in low quality slum like neighbourhoods, with cramped conditions and no access to outdoor space.
What’s the chance you’re posting this from a cramped flat?
Do the younger generation not deserve decent quality housing?

Labour's numbers are totally unworkable. Developers don't want to build 'affordable homes'. So we're just losing land for houses that most people can't afford anyway. But hey, at least some might have solar panels!

You've totally misunderstood basic economics. Housing has become unaffordable because far too little has been built over decades. The supply needs to be massively increased for house prices to stop escalating.

When I lived with my parents in a lovely village, I hated all the housing developments and us locals were horrified by how the village changed, many choosing to move.

Now I have my own family and renting insecurely in a location I wouldn’t choose, I am all for building of affordable housing in nice areas. But it rarely, if ever, is affordable. I’m sure if I ever do get my own house in a lovely village I will be against building again to protect my way of life and asset. That’s human nature.

I think immigration has a lot to do with housing shortages. The area I live in is very diverse, with as much as 60% of housing being occupied by non British born people. That’s 60% more houses than would have needed to be built without immigration. Regardless of views on immigration, that just isn’t sustainable.

I'm completely with you OP, your location sounds like my location. My thoughts also lie with the beautiful countryside on my doorstep and where all our wildlife will go. Our infrastructure here is already struggling to cope. Just two doctors surgeries in the next town, a 20 minute walk and a 45 minute walk, but it's incredibly hard to get an appointment. Schools fit to burst. Accident after accident on a few junctions and crossroads, with no Plans to improve them, despite yet another big build ( 2000 homes) about to start on glorious fields. Our little town is growing alarmingly but cannot provide properly for the numbers.

Not read through other posts.
I grew up in a VERY rural area and every step of housing was blocked so that I couldn't possibly afford to live there.
My parents went through hell (Test Valley Borough Council) to rebuild a barn into a home - over five years. They love the area but there is no infrastructure and is a for "rich people moving in" only. No public transport, no longer a post office or shop. Once my 80+ year old DM can't drive, they will have to move out.
Perhaps bringing some element of urbanisation - ie services - to rural areas would work, but I suspect we will just get villages sprawling into towns into cities.
HOWEVER, the biggest obstacle to any type of rural improvement is NIMBYISM

‘Terrifying’ building enough new homes so that younger generations stand a small chance of home ownership? Is your house built on what was once a field? I expect so.
this is not something I would class as terrifying

My solution would be to have a proper building program of decent quality/ sized housing. Not massive estates built willy nilly.
Overlooked, tiny houses that are only suitable for a couple and maybe a young child. Which means average or older families are overcrowded or forced to move .
And that’s before the overpriced rental market is considered.

“Is the only solution the increased destruction of our countryside?”

No, it’s not the only solution, but it’s part of the solution. It’s happening everywhere. It’s not specific to the tiny part of the countryside that you live in.

I’m a planning lawyer in a large city and the LA is having to allocate parts of the green belt for housing. Do they want to? No. Do the cllrs or the locals want them to? No. But eligible land in the city has essentially been exhausted, and if they don’t allocate land within the GB the local plan won’t be approved meaning that local policies are “out of date” and will be outweighed by central policies. If they cannot demonstrate a 5 year housing land supply it is very difficult to refuse major planning applications for housing.

They cannot just build hundreds of dense tower blocks within the city either. They need a variety of house types, 2/3/4 bed homes suitable for families.

We are in a housing crisis and the only way out of it is the build, and at speed. Certain areas of the countryside are more suitable than others.

It does, but it's not all suitable for housebuilding, and we need good farmland for food security.

Building huge housing estates with houses crammed together, cars parked along narrow roads, no thought to increasing schools, doctors surgeries, road infrastructure, council provision of bin collections etc etc etc is making for febrile 'communities'. Towns aren't growing gradually and organically, they're having huge housing estates stuck on the perimeter, no thought given to the quality of life of existing residents or those who will live on the new estates.

Housing estates are being crammed round the Edinburgh by pass. Traffic, bad for years, is becoming increasingly gridlocked. The estates themselves are soulless, primary schools and medical practices are creaking. There is no provision for shopping facilities or local entertainment.

The town I live in has 2 huge new housing estates being built, one with 269 properties, mostly 3,4 and 5 bed houses with about 30 2 bed flats, and the other with 170 2, 3 and 4 bed houses. The population of the town will probably increase by over 1200. That's a 15% increase in population with no thought to transport and infrastructure.

Considering that birthrates are falling markedly, within a generation or 2, many of these properties will be standing empty.

I don't know of any developers who are building sensible properties for those looking to downsize. We're in a 5 bed family home and would love to move to somewhere smaller but not shoebox size, 2 decent sized bedrooms, family bathroom, reasonable kitchen and large living room, but that doesn't exist. So instead of freeing up our house to a growing family, we're staying in it because we don't want to live in a shoebox.

Overseas investors buying apartments off plan in UK cities needs to be dealt with.

Someone upthread mentioned levelling up of areas with cheap housing. We have plenty of cheap housing in the ex mining towns and villages round here, but the communities are run down with lots of issues, drugs, anti social behaviour. Government has thrown money at the issues with little or no obvious results. Gentrification would be great on one hand - people taking a pride in their towns and villages and looking after their local environment but it wouldn't help those already living here - they'd just be priced out.

Meanwhile hundreds of thousands of families rot in mould ridden temporary housing, causing an epidemic of asthma and chest infections in small children.
Nice.

I understand totally and completely OP.

Here it is an absolutely enormous onshore wind farm backed with Saudi money on a sssi site in an area of stunning visual amenity. The turbines will be massive ( each taller than blackpool tower) and spread over a huge area. Massive groundwork and construction will be needed apart from the damage in all ways done by the bloody things themselves.

I can't quite put into words how utterly heartsick I feel. I used to go up there at dawn and listen to the curlew and skylark and golden plover, recording their song in my phone and yes if lucky see a hare or a deer. The views were magnificent. It was like paradise.

I am too disabled to do that now and in some ways I am glad as it would upset me so much.

I have objected of course but have no doubt it will eventually get through. Many people just don't get this and Labour are an essentially urban party. And I voted for them before this thing was announced, so ....

Indeed you are correct but that's still 20% of new build 4+ beds when the largest growth of demand is for single occupant housing. But you are completely missing my points
Encouraging use of existing empty houses. Discourage ownership of 2nd houses.
Encourage people like my 3 aunts and one uncle/aunt who between them have 4 social housing homes with 12 bedrooms. Providing decent smaller social housing encouraging them to downsize.

I think I may have muddied the waters by looking at the ops situation where, like the town I live in, everything proposed is for sizable executive housing much higher in proportion than 20% of houses built...because it will attract people who have higher wealth.
My other point is there are areas where housing is available/cheap (hence spreading demand away from the south) where, if the area is improved and "levelled up" people may move to. Hence my Bristol example where those areas were dumps 30 years ago and now have become really desirable

We need to encourage older people (not necessarily those classed as 'elderly) to downsize. Out of the people I know 5 householders are in 4+ bedroom properties, as a single person. One chap hasn't been into 3 of his bedrooms for over 4 years! But cost of moving (stamp duty, etc) makes it too much hassle to move to a smaller place. More well designed 1 or 2 bed bungalows would free up substantial family properties. In addition, encourage the use of all property. Around us (semi rural SE with good rail connections) within half a mile I can think of 6 family-sized good properties never lived in, not let out, not air b'n'b....abandoned (but grass cut etc). I think people have been left houses but have no idea what to do with their 'inheritance'. And yet acres of green spaces (frequently on flood plain) being gobbled up by new developments. I despair.

It is terrifying, and desperately sad. I am so sorry for all the children growing up who won't know the beauty of the British countryside, and even more sorry for the impact it is having on our wildlife. We've destroyed so much over the past few decades, and we're determined to finish the job. But if we want a rapidly growing population, we have to make these sacrifices so more and more people can be shoved into smaller and smaller homes, leading more and more dismal lives. Best bet is to get very rich, then you can buy a few hundred acres for your own personal enjoyment. The rest of us will have to make do with pictures.

Meanwhile hundreds of thousands of families rot in mould ridden temporary housing, causing an epidemic of asthma and chest infections in small children.

Small price to pay for a nice view!

At least build the houses with..local amenities, some sort of green space, trees of different varieties and ages, and some sort of variation, curved roads, decent architecture.
where we are they are identical, built in long long rows so the wind will howl through the site, no shops so you have to drive on the already packed roads. It’s so shortsighted.

there are no enough houses to go around
rather than pushing granny out from the home and community she loves , think how many homes we free up if we remove second home ownership and tightened up those air b&b rules

( rather a lot )

OP, I agree with you. Lots of new build estates going up round here in the name of ‘The Housing Crisis’.
Well, obviously what I believe to be affordable, and what this government think to be affordable are two very different things…. Don’t think anyone who can buy a 3 bedroom house for 400K is in any crisis but there we go 🤷‍♀️

With net annual immigration of 750k+, the planned new builds won’t even house the new arrivals. Surely that’s the real problem if the government is serious about solving the housing crisis?

For the government to control our borders , and put in restrictions on multiple home ownership and air bnbs and to ban foreign investment companies from buying up British homes.

The net migration in 2024 was 431k not 750k.

I have the same worries too. I live in a small market town and the amount of houses going up is staggering. Once the countryside has gone it’s gone for good. Where is our food supposed to come from if all the farmland is being built on/ turned into solar farms? People are having to book nursery spaces before their babies have even been born. It was never like that when I had my children.

That is still a huge figure.

Still a lot of extra people who will need housing each year.