PLANNERS in Teesside and East Cleveland are being urged to encourage more people to live in the centre of towns, to save greenfield sites from development.

The Tees Valley Joint Strategy Committee has called on local authorities to develop new policies to stop developers building on the outskirts of towns.

Recent surveys have shown most people want to live in new houses on the edge of towns, because they believe the areas have better security and are more attractive.

To combat this problem, the strategy committee has called on council planning policies to include car parking in town centre estates, anti-crime initiatives, and ways to tackle social problems, so people can be encouraged to move into developed areas, rather than calling for greenfield sites to be turned over to housing.

John Lowther, director of the Tees Valley Joint Strategy Unit, said: "What central government policy is saying does not necessarily go hand-in-hand with what households in the Tees Valley want from their housing.

"Aspirations of local people are clearly directed towards owning a new house on the edge of town, with the better security and environment that such a location offers.

"To try to increase the attractiveness of urban, previously-developed sites, the best solution seems to be to try to re-create suburban greenfield conditions with a good environment, space, safety, quietness and car parking spaces."

One of the results of people wanting to live in new properties on the outskirts of towns is that the market for terraced housing in the town centres is suffering.

Mr Lowther said: "New houses are seen as being more desirable through design features, location and low maintenance costs.

"Terraced housing is now being bypassed with buyers going straight to new housing on the edge of town. This is leading to a fall in demand and prices for terraced housing and more property going over to the private rented sector."

The Campaign for the Protection of Rural England has already launched a campaign to save the green belt in the Tees Valley from industrial development.

The charity is working to defend the Tees Valley against what it believes is the threat of urban sprawl and is promoting positive alternatives and appropriate development