Gove: let's build on farmland

The shadow housing minister has signalled a big shift in Conservative thinking on house building by suggesting new homes should be built on unused farmland.

In a move that is likely to prove controversial with traditional Tories, Michael Gove told a development conference in London this week he would rather preserve green space in cities than in the countryside.

‘One of the concerns is that we are losing urban green space at too quick a rate,' he said. ‘We are seeing our cities becoming greyer and greyer. Some [farm land] is being subsidised [as set aside land] to be used for no purpose.'

Mr Gove told Inside Housing: ‘My view is that urban green space is more valuable than rural green space. If we are looking at future development of course we should use brownfield land first but that is not going to be enough to meet our housing needs.

‘An average garden is a richer source of biodiversity than an arable field that is covered by pesticide.'

Berwyn Kinsey, head of the London Housing Federation, said boosting the development of homes in rural areas would help reduce pressures in urban areas.

‘We advocate providing additional affordable homes for sale or rent because we think it is essential for the future of cities,' he said.

‘That helps the cities out because that is not forcing people into the cities in order to find employment or other opportunities.'

Some farmers would welcome the opportunity to convert their land to residential use, he added. Many had already branched out into other areas, such as providing holiday homes, Mr Kinsey said.  

Jamie Carswell, the Labour deputy mayor of Hackney, said that Mr Gove's words would not be popular with all Conservatives.

‘He is setting down a challenge to right-thinking Conservatives to come up with some creative solutions to the housing shortage,' he said.

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said that building on farm land would preclude it from being used for agricultural purposes in the future.

Mr Gove also told delegates that environmental arguments were being given too much weight in development debates.

‘People are now using the environment as the ace of trumps to win all development arguments and I think that is wrong,' he said.

The need for more homes should take precedence over environmental concerns, Mr Gove added.

‘Dartford warblers and great crested newts should not have needs that supersede those of our children.'