Rural campaigners welcome Labour's pledge to prioritise brownfield sites for homes

Rural campaigners have welcomed Keir Starmer’s pledge to ‘build a new Britain’ by prioritising brownfield sites for development rather than the countryside.

The Labour leader announced the commitment at the party's conference in Liverpool, where he highlighted his ambition to build 1.5 million new homes.

Sir Keir highlighted that un-adopted Local Plans were leading to speculative, unsustainable development which were ‘potholing’ the Green Belt and the countryside.

Responding to the new pledge, Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) said the brownfield approach had the potential to provide 'genuinely affordable' housing for millions of people.

The rural campaigning body said that countryside around towns and cities would in turn remain untouched, which "is crucial for the wellbeing of millions of people".

CPRE chief executive, Roger Mortlock explained that the Green Belt would be critical to deliver solutions to the nature and climate crisis.

He said: "There is lots to welcome in Labour’s brownfield-first approach and densification of our towns and cities.

“Brownfield land can provide room for 1.2 million new homes and before we start thinking about a new generation of New Towns, we need to make sure we’ve exhausted the un-tapped potential of brownfield land.

“Alongside these announcements, we need to match the ambition of the post-war Labour government in protecting our countryside and restoring nature.”

Past Labour governments introduced the Green Belt around the UK's largest towns and cities, as well as launching National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.