What the Punter Wants?

It's fairly obvious that the UK has an almost insatible desire for housing. The new government is going to place a mandatory requirement on councils to collectively build a total of 370,000 homes each year. These would monstly be built in the South and South-East of England. The UK Prime Minister has ordained that "a human being wanting to have a house" must take priority over the environment. Consequently, some building will be allowed on 'green belt' sites. The 'green belt' was initially devised to stop the UK's conurbations simply merging into a megacity (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/dec/12/housing-must-take-priority-over-nature-says-starmer-in-green-belt-reform-plan). Building new homes, will currently be a generally popoular move. This process is not, however, infinitely sustainable. There comes a point, where additions of yet more badly-insulated 'brick boxes', reduces everyone's quality of life. In the animal world, a population explosion generally results in a species destroying its own environment. Humans are part of the environment and not a separate entity. The UK actually has lots of housing. Much of it, is inefficiently used. Some people have many homes. Others live in property that's simply too large for them. Fairly obviously, 'brown field' sites (former places with buildings), should (and will?) be prioritised over 'green field' equivalents. It would also be best, however, if most of the new homes ended up being controlled by Housing Associations, rather than being sold to the highest bidder for renting. Destroying the natural environment around towns and cities, also comes at a cost. Human health, both mental and physical, depends on the 'ecoservices' provided by the natural environment. The UK is already the most species-depleted in Europe. It's to be hoped that someone sees the 'bigger picture'.