THE CALL by an all-party Commons' select committee for a ban on building homes on greenfield sites is plain common sense - as we know in East Lancashire where the pressure new housing estates have put on places in the schools nearest to them.

But the problem is the market steers developers to out-of-town sites - because that is where many people want to live even if they face longer travel to work and find the provision of services like education and shops is slower than the house builders.

Yet, as we have also seen in East Lancashire, new homes in towns can also be found and can also be attractive.

And there are lots of derelict urban open spaces that could accommodate even more - saving much countryside from being built over, cutting traffic and pollution and putting new life and sense of community back into the towns.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.