Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Tamas]

Economist article claims giving up just 10% of the "green belt" would allow space for 5 million homes. Heck, they claim that giving up green belt in an 800 meter circle around train stations would free up space for 850k new homes.

https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/08/17/britain-should-scrap-its-green-belt

[Josquius]

The trouble is this is Britain.
I can imagine weakening greenbelt laws will result in ecologically valuable lands being concreted over for shitty new build car centric estates whilst useless fields that could be actually sensible places for housing go untouched.

[Syt]

Saw this a couple days ago.

[Tamas]

The trouble is this is Britain.
I can imagine weakening greenbelt laws will result in ecologically valuable lands being concreted over for shitty new build car centric estates whilst useless fields that could be actually sensible places for housing go untouched.

How much of the green belt is actually something that can be used by the large community as is, though? I remember I was driving to an Asda a few times at a town, I think it was Woking. From the north you approach it next to a wide patch of forest that somehow managed to look absolutely "unkept" and not suitable for humans apart from rapists walking around in it yet totally did not give natural forest vibes so I very much doubt there is much of a wildlife there especially since it seems totally corralled in and divided up by the town and various roads.

Yet, next to this forest I once saw a MASSIVE (a couple of lorries' length or so) black dramatic rollout-sign protesting some new housing development planned in the area.

[Tamas]

Saw this a couple days ago.

Reminded me of this old sketch about Greece's economic troubles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK0De210TBQ

"Let me put it this way: if they were a private company there would be a fire on a Saturday around 4AM in the morning" 

[HVC]

Economist article claims giving up just 10% of the "green belt" would allow space for 5 million homes. Heck, they claim that giving up green belt in an 800 meter circle around train stations would free up space for 850k new homes.

https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/08/17/britain-should-scrap-its-green-belt

Why is there a green belt around stations? A noise thing? Or just Britain weirdness?

[Syt]

The trouble is this is Britain.
I can imagine weakening greenbelt laws will result in ecologically valuable lands being concreted over for shitty new build car centric estates whilst useless fields that could be actually sensible places for housing go untouched.

How much of the green belt is actually something that can be used by the large community as is, though? I remember I was driving to an Asda a few times at a town, I think it was Woking. From the north you approach it next to a wide patch of forest that somehow managed to look absolutely "unkept" and not suitable for humans apart from rapists walking around in it yet totally did not give natural forest vibes so I very much doubt there is much of a wildlife there especially since it seems totally corralled in and divided up by the town and various roads.

Yet, next to this forest I once saw a MASSIVE (a couple of lorries' length or so) black dramatic rollout-sign protesting some new housing development planned in the area.

Meanwhile, Austria seems to be the European leader in sealing surface area (WWF just released a blistering report). Much of the construction is questionable, since at the same time there's plenty vacant structures and abandoned industrial areas that might be used instead that exceed the annual demand by a factor of 20 (obviosuly depends on whether the vacancies are where the demand is, how much old pollution needs to be removed in old industrial areas ... ).

Additionally, towns in the countryside continue to spread wide instead of increasing population density, leading to a higher demand than is (theoretically) necessary. On average 11.3 hectares of natural space (2.41 acres) has been used up in Austria every day over the past three years, with close to half of it sealed (i.e. built upon). An anecdotal example mentioned on reddit has an (Austrian) furniture recently demolishing its multistory parking garage and instead building a giant parking lot instead that takes significantly more space (not to mention the creation of a heat island).

[Syt]

Meanwhile, in Liverpool.

[Josquius]

If only other places held so well as Liverpool.

Economist article claims giving up just 10% of the "green belt" would allow space for 5 million homes. Heck, they claim that giving up green belt in an 800 meter circle around train stations would free up space for 850k new homes.

https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/08/17/britain-should-scrap-its-green-belt

Why is there a green belt around stations? A noise thing? Or just Britain weirdness?

I imagine it's not around the stations themselves, those stations just fall in the green belt around cities.

You get a lot of small villages a short train ride outside of cities which somehow remain tiny and undeveloped with their own train station despite how obvious places for development they'd be if things worked.

[garbon]

Saw this a couple days ago.

Such attention and passion for a hardly iconic pub.

[Tamas]

Such attention and passion for a hardly iconic pub.

It's a symbol of the completely unbearable building frenzy paving over the entire island.

[The Brain]

Cigarettes there in 1765? Sounds a bit early, though I guess not completely impossible.

[HVC]

If they only made it 6 stories taller it could have been an intentional tourist attraction. Shame.

[Josquius]

Saw this a couple days ago.

Such attention and passion for a hardly iconic pub.

This happens way too often. A lot of the older buildings in my hometown were burned down in similar suspicious circumstances, a fair few buildings in Newcastle have faced similar shit including an actually iconic art deco cinema.
It's nice this story has blown up for once and hopefully it'll bring attention to the broader issue.

[Gups]

The trouble is this is Britain.
I can imagine weakening greenbelt laws will result in ecologically valuable lands being concreted over for shitty new build car centric estates whilst useless fields that could be actually sensible places for housing go untouched.

No it won't. Just taking land out of the greenbelt doesn't give carte blanche to build new development. You would still have to get planning permission on the basis of the local development plan (which will have sustainable transport policies).

And the green belt designation has nothing to do with whether the land is ecologicaly valuable. There are other designations for this - national parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty, sites of special scientific interest and others. Such sites ahve their own protection.