Speaking at the National Planning Summit in London in April, Lord Rogers said there is "an amazing amount" of brownfield land still available for new homes.

Rogers said that one reason why the focus should be on developing homes within towns and cities was that the costs of living in the country are higher than in urban areas.

"It costs you about two to three times as much to have a house in the country or in sprawl than it does in the city.

"Yes, it’s easier to build on a nice big green field but if you put all the other costs: police, cars, taxes, water and so on, all those elements which do not get usually costed into the total, you’re talking about two-to-three times the cost", he said.

Lord Rogers pointed to the 300,000 planning permissions that had been granted but not taken up and said, "We’re at least 20 years away from using all the brownfield so I don’t see any reason for building in the countryside or suburbia."

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