Greenbelt erosion
Radical change: The country is going through a highly radical change. Greenbelt has become a major target in the governments drive to build 1.5 million houses across the country. There is a loophole in the system where greenbelt can be removed if its not considered to be performing well as its intended purpose.
​
The threat comes from this drive to push through mass housing developments in a claim for "affordable" housing.
​
Although developers will claim to bring affordable housing. This is not true. Property value is so high, that developers actually pay the local council to place these housing needs into a cheap area, so even if this was to proceed, this community would not likely benefit at all, for those that think its a good idea.
No benefit of affordable housing: Simply the land is too valuable and house prices to high. Our residents association colleagues in Kingswood already have proof of this with developers opting to pay the council to develop these affordable houses elsewhere.
The CPRE is an organisation that campaigns for land preservation in the United Kingdom.
The CPRE Surrey reports "extreme pressure," with 233,000 homes threatening London Green Belt (including Surrey) at 2021, rising to 300,000 by 2025.
​​
By rights brownfield alternatives (enough for 1M+ homes nationally) is already available, so the need to erode our precious greenbelt space is really not founded.
​
Labour's "grey belt" policy expands releasable land to include underperforming farmland, potentially worsening viability for remaining sites by increasing speculation. Critics like CPRE warn of food production risks, while proponents see it as unlocking "poor quality" areas without harming prime farmland.
​
​
​
Is Canons Farm underperforming as Greenbelt?
​
No! Canons Farm is not degraded or underperforming and cannot be considered grey belt for many reasons!
​
The Farm is Grade II listed and is also AGLV status
a vital source of agricultural income and food security for the region.
Internationally recognised: The farm is regularly sowed and cropped and has been for many decades, particularly the fields being proposed.
Crops from this farm are even sent as far away as Egypt, so it is an internationally recognised crop farm.
High level social use by community: Hundreds of our residents use this land on a weekly basis, to walk their dogs, across the ancient pathways on the proposed development fields
​
​
