Green spaces cannot be overlooked in drive to build new homes across Yorkshire

Britain needs to build more new homes, there is no getting away from that fact. However, where to build these homes is the issue at the heart of the housing debate.

Building on the greenbelt should be out of the question, given everything that we know about biodiversity and the irreversible damage that developments can cause.

Sir Keir Starmer’s government talked about greenlighting development on greybelt land, low quality greenbelt land. But that set the government on a collision course with communities who valued these spaces. It should not just be about protecting the countryside but also the green spaces that are much needed for local communities.

There needs to be a shift in emphasis from building homes to developing communities. Whether that is through a drive to renovate empty homes or shiny new developments. The housing crisis is not just a bricks and mortar problem but rather an infrastructure issue. You need doctors surgeries, schools and transport links to go with the homes.

And as the Green Space Index published by Fields in Trust shows, there also needs to be an emphasis on public recreational spaces. Spaces that are currently exposed to developments. While most Yorkshire residents can reach a public recreational space nearby, almost none of the areas have permanent legal protection.

Green spaces open to the public are vital at a time when the population is aging and pressures on the NHS are increasing. It would be foolish to overlook spaces that make the public, of all ages, more healthier.