Ray Lee says councils are expected to ‘exhaust every avenue’ to meet their housing needs figure and appeals are already being allowed in the green belt. But Elmbridge BC was faced with thousands of specific green belt objections following its first Regulation 18 consultation, creating a local political mandate ‘that is difficult to ignore’

We know there’s a housing crisis. We know the current shortage in housing squeezes living standards, fuels poverty, and chokes growth. However, in many areas devising a plan acceptable to residents while satisfying an inspector feels slightly more difficult than agreeing a Brexit plan.