The last day of May saw the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) publish their annual Land Use Change Statistics. Among other things, this data records the previous land use of new housing developments.

The report reveals that, during the 2017-18 financial year, 53% of new homes were delivered on previously developed land - the lowest level recorded in the last five years when, on average, 57.2% of new homes have been delivered on brownfield sites.

Predictably, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) jumped on these figures as proof that the countryside is facing an existential threat. “Building new homes on derelict land at a five-year low” proclaimed their press release.

While that claim is true in simplistic terms, unsurprisingly, the reality is a little different to the picture that CPRE have chosen to paint.

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