The Prime Minister, responding to Sir Keir Starmer’s promise to be on the side of the builders not blockers, says the Tories will not build houses on green spaces.
His colleague Michael Gove, Levelling Up Secretary says he is not opposed to all building on green belt land, if the new places are beautiful. This is a wise warning.
Tory backbenchers are split just as much as these two. As they begin to understand the need for a generational time horizon, and the need to work with neighbouring councils for spatial reasons let us hope the proverbial penny will drop. It has taken four decades.
New homes, new places can be popular places to go. Michael Gove is a fan of Poundbury principles. So am I. Who can’t be, when the evidence that premium values in deepest Dorset now exists. Congratulations to our new King. Without his faith in traditional environments it would not be there as an exemplar. Can this thinking be a model for other locations? People love it. Architects do not.
Ian Campbell
18 May 2023
