England's green belt, spanning 12.5% of the nation's land, has become a focal point for potential urban expansion. Recent research by Woods Hardwick indicates that this substantial expanse could potentially accommodate the development of 17.5 million new plots.

Remarkably, only a fraction of this land, approximately 1.4%, would be necessary to meet the government's objective of constructing one million new homes by the upcoming General Election. Originally instituted in the 1950s to curb urban sprawl when the UK's population hovered around 51 million, the green belt concept has evolved into a critical consideration for housing development.

Notably, a mere 8.7% of England's land is developed, with a minimal 10.5% classified as 'built-up' areas. Intriguingly, the proportions shift when examining London, where the relatively small amount of land translates into 22.1% of the region's entirety, due to the demand for space.

Regional variations also come into play. For instance, the West Midlands boasts 20% coverage by green belt, suggesting the potential for 11.9 million new homes. The most significant potential impact emerges in the South East, with 16% coverage potentially accommodating 13.8 million new dwellings.

Local authorities like Tandridge, with an astounding 93.9% of its jurisdiction designated as green belt, hold the potential to provide a million new homes. Similarly, Epping Forest and Sevenoaks, both at 90%, could substantially contribute to housing initiatives.

Northumberland, though covering a modest 14% of its land with green belt, emerges as a key player, with the capacity for 3.2 million new homes.

Russell Gray, Planning Director at Woods Hardwick, emphasizes the pragmatic aspect of releasing green belt land. He states, “Sensibly planning the release of green belt land will directly address the housing crisis and local property shortages.

“That doesn’t mean concreting over the entire countryside as many incorrectly assume and there are swathes of green belt that have been incorrectly classified and contribute little to the intended purposes of green belt in national policy.

“Green belt development has been continually rejected by politicians for landscape or habitat reasons when that should not be the case. Our research highlights just how much land is classified as green belt across England and how difficult this makes the delivery of much needed housing, particularly in areas where space is already finite.

“England’s entire green belt could deliver almost seventy four million new homes – three times as many homes we already have – and it would take reclassifying just 1.4% of green belt land for the government to meet its target of one million homes by the next general election.

“Instead, they’ve set their sights on brownfield redevelopment, a task that is far more complicated, costly and, quite frankly, doomed to fail due to there simply not being enough of such land. It also typically fails to provide the level of affordable housing we desperately need as a country.

“As a result, we expect that come the next general election, we will be hearing yet more excuses why we haven’t met or built the government’s one million new homes target to address the crippling housing crisis felt across the nation.”