Thursday 12 July 2007

Abolish the greenbelt

One of the most enduring myths about the countryside is that green fields and farmyards are somehow environmentally friendly. There is also a related canard, which suggests that the English countryside is something beautiful to behold and therefore worth protecting. Neither are true, and the sooner the farmers are allowed to give up their land so that construction firms can build much-needed houses, the better.

A typical English farm is an environmental disaster. It pollutes the soil with its excessive use of nitrate. This noxious chemical is eventually absorbed into the water basin, and ultimately contaminates our drinking water. Dairy production, the primary activity of English agriculture, produces huge amounts of methane, which is a major source of greenhouse gases. The agricultural sector is also primarily responsible for destroying most of England's ancient woodland and hedges. Paving the English countryside with concrete would, on balance, contribute to a cleaner and healthier environment.

The agro-industrial complex destroyed the uniqueness and character of the English countryside long ago. Today's farms, with their obsession with technological efficiency, have created a patchwork of the bland, production intensive fields. Heavy machinery harvests its monotonous and tasteless product. Aesthetically speaking, we will lose nothing by building more houses to replace these ugly industrialized fields.

The green belt is also been a device to keep house prices high. People who benefit from this despicable restriction in the supply of land will argue the environmentally case. At the same time, you will find them driving their overweight pre-diabetic children in their environmentally destructive SUV town tanks from their ugly overpriced home to their elitist private schools. Pay no attention to their pleas to protect the countryside. It is self-interest dressed up in the fraudulent overcoat of environmentalism.

It's time to abolish the green belt. The market for land needs to be liberalised. Cities need to grow. We need more houses, and we need them now. Besides, the sooner the rest of England is absorbed by London, the better.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Alice, you are on fire today.

Anonymous said...

It always makes sense to cut off one's nose to spite one's face, and making England uglier is a perfect opportunity to do so again.

Moron.

Anonymous said...

from Telegraph

(maybe you wanna check and link!)

Bank of America predicts 20pc probability of a 'severe crash'
By Sophie Brodie

Last Updated: 1:59am BST 14/07/2007


There is a one-in-five chance Britain's housing market will crash in the next two years, according to an economist at Bank of America.


Economist Matthew Sharratt says 'house prices are currently 20pc overvalued'



In a note entitled "UK housing market: is it all over?", Matthew Sharratt said: "Leading indicators and our own econometric work point to a significant slowdown in the UK housing market later on this year and into next. "

Although a sudden price drop seems unlikely, he warned that there was a 20pc probability of a "severe crash" in 2008 and 2009 if market sentiment collapses. A severe crash is defined as a 10pc price fall over 18 months.

One area of particular concern is the buy-to-let market where higher interest rates could trigger a sell-off as unsophisticated investors struggle to meet debt payments. A more likely scenario, said Mr Sharratt, would be "very subdued house price inflation until 2010". He estimates that house prices are currently 20pc overvalued and it could take until the next decade for prices to rebound.

There are already signs that the market is slowing. Figures from the Halifax mortgage bank showed that month-on-month price growth had slowed but annual growth had continued to rise more than 10pc.
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However, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said prices in June rose at their weakest rate since the start of 2006 and housebuilders have warned that higher interest rates have begun to curb buyer activity.

David Stubbs, an economist at RICS, said: "While we agree with Bank of America that the housing market is slowing and will stay subdued next year and into 2009, we don't believe there is a chance of a crash at the level they are predicting. People's expectations about house prices are important but it's not going to make them sell.

" We see a resurgence in 2010 while the economy remains on track and housing in short supply. We expect price inflation of between 5pc and 10pc."

Rupert Dickinson, chief executive of residential property company Grainger, said: "There are certain markets in the UK that are more exposed to a downturn such as new-build flats, and you can't expect the same sort of growth as in previous years, but we think the fundamentals are still good in the medium term."

The Bank of England has now raised rates five times since last August to a six-year high of 5.75pc and is expected to increase them again before the end of the year.



regards from Italy