Much of the Greenbelt that stretches across much of Epsom and Ewell is set to be removed, in order to make way for housing and buildings that many say we desperately need. Rents are high, house prices are high and many believe that increasing the supply in the local area would benefit everyone in a bid to reduce costs. According to Rightmove, the average house price in Surrey last year was £609,408. This is increased to £984,011 if you dare to buy a detached property in this part of the world that is seemingly defined by extortionate real estate. The removal of the Greenbelt, advocates argue, would allow Epsom and Ewell to build its 5000 additional homes that it wants to by 2040, reducing house prices.
Opponents of the destruction of much of the Greenbelt include Katherine Alexander of Epsom Greenbelt who says that current plans could lead to the loss of more than “50 football pitches” worth of Greenbelt every single year. For Surrey’s smallest borough (Epsom and Ewell), these 20 hectares of lost nature is significant.
One local resident, Iydah, calls the plans necessary, saying “as much as I love this area, the price of housing is the biggest issue we face at the moment.”
Frankly, I believe that we should score a necessary balance between people and nature. The historic fields of our local area shouldn’t be demolished for the sake of something trivial - once they’re gone they won’t be back for at least a very long time. However, we need to address the extortionate house prices in our local area. Let’s build while we protect our environment, protecting the areas you and I have memories of and are far too beautiful for the UK.