Area the size of 28,500 football pitches lying derelict - Baker
New figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats reveal that an area the size of 28,500 football pitches is lying derelict across England.
While new developments eat away at our diminishing green spaces huge areas of the country are currently derelict and crying out for redevelopment.
Regionally the North West has the highest percentage of derelict land going to waste with 0.6% of the entire region currently disused and available for redevelopment. This is three times the rate for any other region.
The total hectares of derelict land for each region is:
- North West: 5,601
- South West: 1,630
- Yorkshire and Humber: 3,270
- North East: 1,630
- East Midlands: 2,470
- South East: 1,430
- West Midlands: 1,710
- East of England: 460
Commenting on the figures, Norman Baker MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment Secretary said:
"Only this topsy-turvy Government could ram through house building on scarce Greenfield sites while ignoring the derelict land which is not only prime for development but would be improved by it.
"This shows yet again the catastrophic failure of the Government's environmental policy."