These could be part of the solution for Rachel Reeves, who would have less need for war over the green belt and the ‘NIMBYs’ might actually like well planned and designed development in co-operation with local people that actually improves and enhances ‘their’ environment.

These could be part of the solution for Rachel Reeve’s pledge to “get Britain building again” with compulsory house building targets, hitting 1.5 million homes in England over the course of this parliament; as well as overhauling planning restrictions and ending the effective ban on onshore wind farms. 

Lets hope that they take notice, look at and learn from previous planning led developments, such as New Towns and in the countryside – particularly the suggestions on land use.

It was a sad day when I received a letter from Richard Simmons, Chairman of the Countryside Commission in March 1996 thanking me for helping to make Countryside Stewardship a success and informing me that it was to be transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture.

The Countryside Commission had set out to show that a nationwide conservation scheme was achievable and that conservation could be sensibly incorporated into everyday farm and land management…

When I replied to the government consultation on the future I emphasized the need to create a new independent authority to oversee this heritage and conservation work, including National Parks and AONB’s and making more use of the Countryside Character Programme, river catchment areas and similar more detailed landscape classifications by County Council and
other authorities.
Something along these lines was recommended in the Julian Glover “Landscape Review” of September 2019 and I strongly welcome the Landscape Institutes suggestion to “Build on the House of Lords recommendation to establish a Land Use Commission for England and establish a land use framework
that would support and facilitate making best use of land as a multi-functional resource.”