Natural England, the British government’s environmental advisory body, is reviewing green built principles “to see how they can evolve to fit 21st century circumstances”. Currently, the green belt makes up 13 per cent of land in England. Natural England has suggested that some of the land might be given over to help ease the shortage of available ground on which to build the three million properties the government has called to be built by 2020.

It is estimated that almost one million properties could be built on brownfield land, and a further 100,000 on surplus publicly owned land. The shortfall of available land on which to build two million homes is a cause for great concern. A spokesperson for the Department for Communities and Local Government said that no changes are planned at present to the robust rules that protect the green belt.

Presently 14 separate green belts officially check unrestricted urban sprawl of built-up areas, prevent neighbouring towns from merging, safeguard the countryside from encroachment, preserve the character of historic towns, and assist in urban regeneration. Should green belt ultimately be requisitioned it will not be without precedent. Between 1997-2003 the government permitted 162 green belt developments. From 2000 to 2003, 2,543 acres were given over to residential use.

Solutions to the shortage of non-green belt land of which to build the two million unallocated properties are thin on the ground. We argue that a move to renovate sound older buildings currently lying empty – such as the hundreds of thousands of empty flats above retail premises – would not only lessen green belt encroachment, but would also reduce an exponential increase in CO2 emissions that would be created if new homes were to be built rather than old properties renovated.

Estimates vary between 400,000 and one million empty dwellings in the UK. The suggestion, therefore, would only make a small inroad into the problem of land shortage and housing demand, but there would also be a social benefit from regenerating an existing community. Additionally, infrastructure would already be in existence, lessening the need for the construction of new amenities and facilities at huge coast and high environmental impact.