Swale fails environmental target

CPRE identifies Swale as the worst borough in the whole of the Thames Gateway for building on greenfield sites, with a only a meagre 52% of development on previously developed (‘brownfield’) sites.

This means that Swale has failed to support the Government’s target that 80% of new housing be built on previously developed sites by a significant margin.

In response to the report, Greg MacDonald, chief executive of regeneration agency Swale Forward, insisted that house building is “very different” in his area.

“It is more spread out, which means that some of the Greenfield sites will be build out before the more difficult brownfield sites, a number of which are being assemebled”

We find this particularly interesting as we have clearly missed to point at which Swale Borough Council handed over the authority to decide on housing strategy to Swale Forward a quango set up and chaired by Cllr Andrew Bowles.