Exactly how big can Chester become? That is the issue facing city planners as they seek to strike the fine balance between sustaining growth and preserving the city's special character and distinct Green Belt boundaries. ROB DEVEY investigates.

BEFORE the ink has even dried on Chester's long-awaited Local Plan, planners are thinking ahead to its successor.

The Plan could finally be adopted by councillors this month following 2004's public inquiry.

Changes to Government guidelines mean it must be followed by a new Local Development Framework (LDF), setting out a fresh blueprint for development and land-use in Chester.

The document will have major implications for homes, jobs and transport links in the city.

It will be informed by the West Cheshire and North East Wales Sub-Regional Spacial Strategy, produced by consultants for neighbouring local authorities.

Consultation on the Strategy, which recommends a policy of 'sustainable growth' for Chester, has just ended.

It earmarks unspecified land southwest of the city for a second business park.

The strategy says 6,500-7,500 new homes will be required in Chester by 2021, pointing to an annual shortfall of 400 affordable homes.

As well as backing the construction of the Western Relief Road, it talks of boosting public transport.

In a pre-emptive strike, the Campaign to Protect Rural England mailed thousands of residents, seeking support in its fight to preserve the Green Belt. Hundreds returned an enclosed postcard for the Government's attention.

But politicians and planners say the first preference is to develop available brownfield sites.

Cllr David Evans, leader of Chester City Council, said: 'The brownfield development we've been doing has been enormously successful. But there's certainly a debate to be had about where Chester goes in development terms, there's no fait accompli.

'There are those who seem to hanker after a 1950s Chester and a sleepy market town but life isn't like that. We want to see the city become a 'mustsee' European destination.

'If people want to come here it would be foolish of us to tell them they can't - providing we can find ways of accommodating them, and that doesn't necessarily have to be within the existing city limits.

'Ultimately we will get to a point when there are no more brownfield sites available and will have to make the decision 'is that enough'?'

Although another business park could boost the financial services or knowledge-based sectors, tourism and retail projects such as the Northgate Development, proposed Amphitheatre visitor centre and idea of a Chester 'Super Zoo' are to take centre stage.

And while new jobs will bring new people, not least to a city with unemployment at just 1.4%, Cllr Evans is confident the city will cope.

He said predictions of a natural decrease in population due to a falling birth rate would help to counterbalance increases arising from job opportunities.

'It's a question of growing in a sustainable way,' said Cllr Evans.

'We do not want to kill the goose that lays the golden egg.

'I don't think the view 'let's pull down the drawbridge and not allow any nasty outsiders in' is one many people in Chester would subscribe to.'

Cllr Evans is keen to get people not in work 'for a number of reasons' back into the job market.

But he admits the current public transport system is 'not good' and he is backed by Chester MP Christine Russell in demanding improvements.

Mrs Russell has doubts about the wisdom of the Western Relief Road, which is part of the county council's new Local Transport Plan but has not attracted Government funding for the next 10-year period.

'We already have part of that road in the Deva Link Road and that is already bumper to bumper,' she said.

'My view is that extensive studies would have to be done on how the relief road would affect the Sealand Basin area. There's every chance it would result in complete gridlock.'

With Chester's average house price now £189,313, Mrs Russell described the shortage of affordable homes as a 'huge issue', which could damage the city's prosperity if not addressed.

City council planning chief Andy Farrall said the requirement that 40% of homes within new developments be affordable could increase depending on how many homes it was given the go-ahead to build and land availability.

Mr Farrall said the authority would think about dropping the 'moratorium' restricting new-build depending on confirmation of new-build targets following a public inquiry into the regional spacial strategy.

He said a 1994 study, Chester: The Future of an Historic City, remained the main resource in guiding growth.

Mr Farrall said Chester was developed to the edge of its Green Belt, but there remained at least a five-year supply of brownfield development land

it down and then pack an estate of small new homes onto the plot (Telegraph 28 Jan 2006). Local authorities say that there is virtually nothing that they can do virtually nothing to stop these applications because gardens are surprisingly considered by planners to be "brownfield" land i.e. previously developed instead of green field land, as you might expect.

The fact that our houses are becoming smaller was also mentioned in the Telegraph on 27 Feb 2006 under the heading "An Englishman's home is a broom cupboard". The article mentions that despite the fact that 80% of us live on just 10% of the land, proposing the use of just 1% or 2 % more land to provide affordable family homes for more people is still considered political suicide.


Our current fear of development means not only do we not build enough homes

view is that these bits are spoilt anyway, so it doesn't matter if we spoil them a bit more. Unfortunately this often means building on the few green spaces that most of us ever get to appreciate - city centre gardens, playing fields allotments and parks. Our phobia about building on edge of town land that is defined as "green field" is leading to the destruction of the urban environments in which most people live (as the planners are happy to build on green lawns
that they define as "brownfield").

The UK population has now passed 60 million (Independent 21 Oct 2006) and Mr Prescott wants to build 1.1 million homes across the South East over the next 10 years to cope. Whilst, for political reasons, he is trying to build most houses on brownfield sites he has already been accused of "environmental vandalism" after it emerged that building on greenbelt has
soared 60% since Labour came to power. (Daily Mail 24th Feb 2006)

Mr Prescott is finding however that brownfield sites are in short supply so that any excuse to turn a green lawn into a "brownfield" site is being used. On 24th Feb 2006 the Daily Mail reported that Village cricket pitches and golf courses could be concreted over as part of John Prescott's plan to build a million new homes. The Deputy Prime Minister's Department is trying
to push through planning rules that will make it easier to build on green areas with only one small building- such as a sports pavilion - which will be considered to be "brownfield".

Even with the new definition of "brownfield" actually meaning a cricket pitch John Prescott may still have problems finding the available land. Savills Autumn 2005 research document asks where the future land supply is to come from; asking is brownfield land really the answer? The conclusion is a NO and it concludes "If new housing supply is to be maintained, let alone
increased, a politically unpalatable fact has to be faced. Alternatives to brownfield sites will have to be found.We do seem to be in a strange world where on one hand John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, upheld plans to knock down hundreds of homes in Liverpool. (Telegraph 17 Feb 2006) essentially because not enough people want to live there; and on the other hand, in the South East, housing estates will be built on cricket pitches and back gardens just to ensure
that we do not build on more than 10% of our land.It doesn't have to be this way. In European countries with a similar density of people per square mile, such as Germany or Switzerland, spacious homes in green neighborhoods are the affordable norm.The architecture and design expert Kevin McCloud (of Channel 4 Grand Designs fame) sums up the situation well when he says that says that what many people want is a house with a bit of land, some chickens and local facilities.His opinion is that we should scrap the planning system, allowing farmers to sell their land for the construction of homes. He says that the "green belt should be junked" because it is an outdated concept designed to trammel development and to preserve the distinction between "town" and "country" as enshrined in the 1949 Town and Country planning act. The concept of the greenbelt as a green lung or an accessible amenity for a city is patronizing given that so much of the green belt is inaccessible.This is backed up by David Miliband, the communities' minister who has said that the 500,000 new homes to be built in the south by 2016 will not ruin the countryside and that opponents should "get real" (FT Sept 17 2005).

Our present need for large scale house building is readily apparent when I hear that 350 first time buyers in Bristol queued for up to eight hours to secure one of the 106 affordable new homes before planning permission has even been secured let alone a brick being laid (Feb 14th Times). And as happy as I am for Mark Guard, something with our planning system must be
wrong when he can buy a plot of land for £1,000 eleven years ago and then sell it for £3.5 million to a house builder (Mirror 18 Feb 2006).

In case you missed them, here are brief summaries of some of the recent land news:

273,800 new homes are being planned for Yorkshire over the next 15 years,
threatening swathes of the regions greenbelt.

New homes needed under the plan:

West Yorkshire 121,350
South Yorkshire 54,100
North Yorkshire 42,250
East Yorkshire 45,050

Yorkshire Post 4 Feb 2006

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Proposals to build at least 10,000 new homes on greenbelt land between
Hunsdon and High Wych north of Harlow in Hertfordshire.
(Herts & Essex newspapers 17 Feb 2006)

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More plans to build on Green Belt land could mean more than 25,000 new homes
around St Albans.
St Albans Review and Observer 20th Feb 2006

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Plans to build an 8,000 home town on greenfield land on the north-eastern
outskirts of Norwich.
Norwich Evening news

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Plans for 3,000 - 4,000 new homes on the outskirts of a Suffolk town have
been brought back to the drawing board just one year after they were
originally rejected.
EADT24 1st Feb

"Back gardens of substantial properties like this one are now being redeveloped, adding huge value to property assets."

Today in Cheshire Online, there was an extremely interesting article, regarding the expansion and development plans of Chester City Council. As you will know, Tarvin (Millfield Green) is in Chester City Council's envelope.

We have inserted the link at the bottom of this page, but certain paragraphs from the article are selected herewith easy reading:

Cllr David Evans, leader of Chester City Council, said: "The brownfield development we've been doing has been enormously successful. But there's certainly a debate to be had about where Chester goes in development terms, there's no fait accompli."

"Ultimately we will get to a point when there are no more brownfield sites available and will have to make the decision 'is that enough'?".

With Chester's average house price now £189,313, Mrs Russell described the shortage of affordable homes as a 'huge issue', which could damage the city's prosperity if not addressed.

The originating link for you to be able to read in full

All good stuff....

Well land has been typically reserved for the pipe smoking gentry, well lets see if we can open up some city boys minds here? If you can look at any stats site Land and property has proven itself again and again in being the smartest way to invest your money. It is no surprise to know that most of the wealthiest people are land owners or at least have a healthy land bank in their portfolio.
The UK has witnessed unprecedented increases in land values during the last 20 years. These amazing increases have been in excess of twice the rate of property price increases. Demand for well positioned land is very high and prices are rising steadily as John Prescott keeps upping his stance on creating more housing by changing planning permission on greenbelt land. Any investment has some element of risk, but simple economics dictate that when supply is limited, land values will keep rising over the long term.