Herts farmer fears housing targets could increase pressures on his land
The farmer, located 25 miles north of St Pancras, believes unmet housing targets are to blame for increased pressures on farmers to sell land
Last updated 30th Dec 2024
A Hertfordshire farmer fears housing pressures could eventually force him to sell his land.
Every week, Will Dickinson, who runs Cross Farm, about 25 miles north of central London, receives letters from developers wishing to purchase his farmland.
The Dickinsons have spent generations building their business between Berkhamsted and Watford, growing arable crops, and in recent years extending the farm to include cattle, now his son's sole focus.
While there are no current plans for his land to be transformed into housing developments, the strategic location of the farm - close to London and between major Hertfordshire towns - is an asset with an ever-increasing value.
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, Will said: "Right now, right a this moment, St Albans District Council are under a huge amount of pressure.
"They have failed to meet their new-build housing targets consistently for the last 20 years.
"They are under pressure from Central Government to deliver on those houses."
Will's farm is located within that area, and fears he may be pushed into giving up his land.
The new Government has set itself a target of building 1.5 million homes in five years and developers have warned that meeting increasing housing demand will not be achieved by only building on brownfield sites.
"We are in St Albans District area, and there is an opportunity right now to put land in for planning application that might not exist in ten or 15 years' time because they might have found land somewhere else," he said.
"So there is quite a lot of pressure on me, I feel quite a lot of pressure to perhaps say yes to the developers in the theory that if I don't say yes now, the opportunity to say yes in 20 years' time might not be there anymore."
Will also previously raised concerns about the loss of farming practises and food prosperity, but also clean air and the 'green belt' - which contributes to what he calls the 'natural lung of London', to which him and neighbouring farms contribute to.
He said: "Every single one of us needs to eat something every single day, otherwise we just don't exist, so it seems crazy to want to have a go at farmers and I don't really understand the metrics of where we're going."
What does St Albans District Council say?
In a recent release, the Council detailed a Local Plan for the sustainable growth of St Albans District, submitted to the Government for examination on November 29, and which is currently under review.
It identified land for future housing and commercial development along with the required infrastructure.
It included £750 million of new infrastructure to support the proposed new residential areas including nine primary schools, four secondary schools, improvements to public transport, locations for 15,000 jobs, and green spaces and health facilities.
Greatest Hits Radio understands those plans do not currently include greenfield sites or farmland in use, however the Council warned in August that the shorter timeframe set by the Government to submit plans, in conjuncture with the urgent need for housing locally, particularly family sized starter and social homes, could mean that the Council would be much less able to defend areas of the Green Belt where most potential harm from development would be caused.
What does the Government say?
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer previously said: "For far too long, working people graft hard but are denied the security of owning their own home. I know how important it is - our pebble dash semi meant everything to our family growing up. But with a generation of young people whose dream of homeownership feels like a distant reality, and record levels of homelessness, there’s no shying away from the housing crisis we have inherited.
"We owe it to those working families to take urgent action, and that is what this government is doing. Our Plan for Change will put builders not blockers first, overhaul the broken planning system and put roofs over the heads of working families and drive the growth that will put more money in people’s pockets.
"We’re taking immediate action to make the dream of homeownership a reality through delivering 1.5 million homes by the next parliament and rebuilding Britain to deliver for working people."