April 2019
Alice Roberts of CPRE London writes:
An answer to how housing can be delivered without the sacrifice of Green Belt land could be to develop urban sites at greater density. We could halve the amount of land needed for housing if we thought harder about density. The average density proposed on brownfield according to CPRE’s new research is just 41 dwellings per hectare. But 80dph or 100dph is easily achievable and certainly doesn’t mean building high or even mid-rise buildings and it has the potential to create vibrant neighbourhoods which can support shops and public transport – which low-density 40dph neighbourhoods cannot. Two critical things about density:
1. Density is about building neighbourhoods that work. Unless you build high density upwards of 60dph, preferably upwards of 100dph, you cannot run public transport, shops etc are not viable, neighbourhoods become car dependent and young people, older people and those who can't afford a car are stuck.
2. High density living is - and should be promoted as - an attractive living option for most people including families - and actually is the preferred option for many. There are endless publications out there with examples of great high-density developments which do more than just deliver housing.
An article including many references and links can be found under Reports on our Information page