Following the land use change statistics released this morning that show a decline of house building on both green belt and previously developed land, Joseph Daniels, founder of modular developer Project Etopia, commented:
“A halving of the proportion of new homes being built in the Green Belt is fantastic, but it shouldn’t be coming alongside a disappointing fall in the use of previously developed land elsewhere.
“Pressure on the Green Belt has never been higher, so the country’s use of previously developed land should only be going one way.
“Part of the problem is that previously developed land is often disliked by developers because it is smaller and difficult to access. Economies of scale then make it less profitable to develop but this is where modular and modern construction methods are capable of making these sites viable again.
“So what is significant about any slump in the re-use of this land is that it points to a sluggish pace of adoption of modern methods of construction.”
“Future generations desperately need is more housing, and there is still plenty of scope for developed land is being used for this purpose.”