Grappling with chronic shortages of affordable housing, particularly in our urban centres, local authorities and government are looking for solutions that will fulfil the demand for housing, and deliver sustainable, successful communities for the future. This will require them to make decisions on where to build that will have far-reaching consequences for our towns and cities.

One recently proposed solution is a relaxation of the rules surrounding the development of green belt land. This perennial debate seems to have reached an inflection point, with both main parties agreeing that ‘something must be done’ and that the green belt is the cause of the lack of development and increasing house prices.

But while unlocking selected green belt tracts could cater to development demands, the ramifications on car dependency and resultant urban congestion cannot be ignored. New homes built ‘out of town’ inevitably result in increasing numbers of car journeys, roadside pollution, carbon emissions, and time lost to commuting.

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