How much of your area is built on?
I thought some of you might find this BBC story interesting http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41901294 It's all to do with how much of the UK is actually built of. I think it quite a comfort to see how little is.
David
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It's quite rural where we are in Harrogate Borough: Built on 3%, Green urban 2%, Farmland 70%, Natural 25%
In complete contrast my eldest son lives in Hackney which is Built on 71%, Green urban 28%, Farmland 0%, Natural 1%
No wonder he likes coming back home and likes our house in rural France even more, where I would guess the result is Forest 50%, natural 47%, Built on 0.5%. Farmland 2.5%.
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It was an interesting little insight but it doesn't seem an exact science. Our area is 90% farmland however that could be an excuse to build, we are seeing rapid expansion around local towns. Where you live David, our family used to farm. Losing farmland is a worry.
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Surprised by our result too.
Built on9%
Green urban4%
Farmland82%
Natural4%
I wonder if this includes all the proposed and lots approved of new building? 3,000 in just one development. No new roads or hospital infrstructure, in fact there were going to take away our A&E 😲😲.
Just goes to prove you can say almost anything with figures.............
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According to the Office of National Statistics there are 27 million households in the UK so whilst 3000 extra houses might seem a lot to be built locally they are hardly a drop in the ocean in the wider picture. We might have to accept, given the national housing shortage, that will have to build perhaps a million or more extra homes to satisfy the current and future demand?
David
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And yet, in continental Europe where they have much more space than we, it is common to see buildings on high, rocky promontories.
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I wouldn't know what percentage is built up round here but I do know they're building on every vacant patch, or that's how it seems.
When I was younger the population of our township was about 6,000 now it's said to be 9,000 and obviously growing.
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If you go to the link you can put in your postcode which should give you some information.
David
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I think that people’s perceptions of the amount of land being built on is due, in many cases, to their vantage point being on a road. I flew aeroplanes for many years, providing a vantage point from which a clearer understanding of building density can be achieved. There really is far more unbuilt land than many believe.
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The statistics are based on local government areas, so slightly flawed in some instances in terms of like for like comparisons. It shows the whole of Cornwall as an area, and City of London as an area. Interesting nevertheless though.
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I would agree with JennyC about perception. Over the past fourteen years of flying in to LGW from our place in Spain it is surprising, even in the South East, how little is actually built upon. Yet on the ground it feels so much more congested.
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Does it make any difference though? You would expect The City of London to be densely built but you would also expect Cornwall to be sparsely built. If you look at the percentages for Milton Keynes it is quite light on density but MK is a Unitary Authority which covers a massive area of sparsely populated North Buckinghamshire. Perhaps statistics are only available by local authority? I hope I have remembered this correctly but in one of his books Bill Bryson mentions that if London was as densely built at Paris it would have a population of 35 million!!!
David
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The actual density of population per sq kilometre and then how much space per person overall in the UK gives an indication of real space available. I think the ONS quotes an average 261 people per sq km in 2011. But somewhere like London has over 4000 people per sq km which leaves a bit more room elsewhere!
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Thanks for that tip. It seems that only 22% is actually built on but given that 51% is classified as farmland I wonder if that colours my perception.
Given that Kirklees includes the conurbations of Dewsbury and Huddersfield the built up areas are all at one end of the district.
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We seem to be above average in built on area at 16%, but we are on the outskirts of Glasgow.
Green urban area is good at 9%, Glasgow is known as the "dear green place".
Then we are 41% farmland and 34% natural.
There is a lot of building going on to fill in empty spaces, and a lot of brown field sites being used in the city, but the boundaries of the towns are being kept in check by the planners.
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