CHAIRMAN’S REPORT: AUGUST 2008

The Housing Challenge

The greatest threat to the Worcestershire countryside is the large number of houses being forced on us by the government as part of the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS). We are not alone, of course, with every county in England expected to find room to increase their housing stock by between 20% and 30% in the next 18 years.

This building bonanza is not distributed proportionately across the British Isles. It is concentrated on England, because England has borne the brunt of the population increase over the past 200 years. Whereas in the early 1800s, when we were an agricultural economy, England had 40% of the population of the British Isles (then only 22 million), we now, as an essentially commercial and financial economy, have nearly 80% of the total of 66 million, and both figures are growing year on year. The average net rate of growth (immigration minus emigration) over the past ten years has been about 160, 000 per year, with over 150,000 settling in England.

The reality is that England has been too successful at drawing in people from within the British Isles, from Europe and from the old Empire. Successive governments seem unable to suppress the influx or direct it to the less populated areas. We no longer have the heavy industries which gave work to many thousands of men, such as ship building in Northern Ireland and Scotland and coal mining in Wales. The shift to an economy based on commerce and finance has drawn the bulk of the population towards SE England and the Midlands.

Hence we are having an uphill struggle to maintain the ‘green and pleasant land’ that William Blake referred to. Indeed it is remarkable that the five-fold increase in population over the past 200 years, combined with railways, roads, industrial areas, out-of-town supermarkets, airports, sports venues, logistic centres, etc., have left so much of the landscape of England unscathed, and this is largely due to the protection afforded by National Parks, AONBs and the Green Belts, the formation of which were strongly urged by CPRE. In spite of government assurances, 42 square miles of Green Belt have been lost since 1997. Yet further large chunks are again coming under attack, as are many other areas of open countryside, as potential sites for large housing estates and the misleadingly-named ‘eco towns’.

The need to challenge the government over its housing figures and the growing numbers that are being assigned to the counties, continues to consume a substantial proportion of our effort, although the main burden has fallen on our Regional and National staff. This three-tier structure is an essential attribute of CPRE. However, I fear that the Government will point to the current and predicted population growth to justify its housing demands. The stabilisation of England’s population should be a top priority.

Within our county, the pressure on the Districts is somewhat less in the north than the south. Nevertheless, a substantial number of houses in the north are likely to be built in the Green Belt, which will need strong support if substantial chunks are not to be lost. In the south, Worcester was designated as a growth point but does not have room to meet its target within its current boundary. This led to the formation of the South Worcestershire Joint Core Strategy (SWJCS) by the councils of Worcester, Malvern Hills and Wychavon, which held several meetings (all of which at least one of us attended). From the results of an Issues and Options questionnaire, it was evident that there was little support for a new town, even as part of the RSS. An eco-town of around 5,000 houses at Throckmorton was fortunately not included in the government’s shortlist of 15 sites. Even without it, however, the threat to Wychavon looks particularly bleak. Here, just over 14,000 houses are currently proposed, representing an increase of nearly 30% on the current housing stock. Perhaps as many as 10,000 of these might have to be built on greenfield sites. There is also a possibility of housing at Long Marston as one of the government’s preferred sites for an eco-town.

At the time of writing, we await the outcome of a government intervention aimed at reviewing the housing numbers proposed by the West Midlands Regional Assembly. It is confidently anticipated that the consultants carrying out this review will be urged (by the government) to recommend a further increase of at least 10% and perhaps over 20%. This review is delaying the timetable set for consultations and public examinations, so that it will be 2010 before final decisions are made and adopted. Hence the first four years of the 2006-2026 building programme will have passed with only relatively low numbers of houses being built, especially since the recent contraction in the housing market is deterring builders from embarking on an accelerating rate of house construction. This gives us a ‘window of opportunity’ to press the government to reconsider its concept that building between 3 and 4 million homes is necessary to satisfy demand and that this would make houses more affordable.

Due to the inevitable worry over new housing estates, we are already seeing protest groups being formed in several parts of the county. The recently-published proposal for large estates to the northwest and south of Worcester appears heavy-handed, since access into and around Worcester is likely to be very difficult without major improvements to the road network. It seems certain that there will be considerable pressure on the SWJCS to change these plans over the next year or so.

Until such time that housing numbers for Worcestershire are ‘cast in stone’, we will not support the construction of homes in one area as opposed to another. Our priority is to ensure that any developments are shown to be well designed, built to a high standard of energy conservation, have adequate infrastructure, avoid the flood plain, use the minimum amount of good agricultural land and make limited impact on the environment and landscape.

Farming and Country life

The force of economics has also been at work in the countryside, where we have seen food producers forced into accepting minimal profit margins by the supermarkets, and the quality of life threatened by possible closure around the Midlands of several hospitals, schools, shops, Post Offices and pubs. Mobility is impaired by poor public transport and high fuel prices. We are working with our national and regional colleagues to oppose those cuts which affect Worcestershire, and are objecting to some of the Post Offices that are currently threatened with closure by the Government .

One Planet Worcester

Several towns and villages around the country have set up initiatives to encourage residents, shops and industry to reduce their energy consumption. The public launch of One Planet Worcester, which comprises members of Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, CPRE and numerous local organisations, schools and businesses, took place in March at the Guild Hall. It was opened by the Mayor of Worcester and visited by invited guests and many passers-by. The relevance to CPRE is that we support its objectives: conserving energy, protecting the environment, and promoting the local economy through buying local produce.

Links with Worcester University

The first presentation of the CPRE Worcestershire Cup was made to Annalea Beardin October 2007. This cup is awarded to the Third Year student who writes the best paper on Countryside and Environment issues. This reflects our recognition of the important contribution that the Rural Research Department of the University is making to Worcestershire.

We held our AGM at the University in June and it is likely that this will be our main venue for future AGMs.

Finance and Membership

Thanks to the continued support of nearly 600 members around the county and reduced expenditure through savings in the honoraria paid to two previous officers, our finances are stronger than at any time since our formation in 1935. This will help us to support, when necessary, campaigns to protect parts of the county from unreasonable development.

In the hope of maintaining the membership and perhaps increasing it, we have resumed participation at local shows after a break of nearly ten years. We now have our own tent and I have produced new posters for the display boards. Ray Ellis has helped by transporting tables and trestles. We have already visited Wichenford and will shortly attend the shows at Rock and Broadway (weather permitting). Many people have become aware of our existence at relatively small cost. Although it is too early to say how many new members will be recruited, the interest has been encouraging.

Frank Hill

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