"Down in the south, it's how we find the brownfield sites without taking too much land take to meet the tremendous demand for housing, and that's what I've done"
About this Quote
A sentence like this isn’t meant to sparkle; it’s meant to settle an argument. Prescott is speaking in the compressed, defensive pragmatism of late-20th/early-21st century British planning politics, where every housing promise collides with two anxieties: the public’s fear of concreting over countryside (“land take”) and the equally real pressure of a housing shortage that no government wants to own.
The intent is managerial credibility. “Down in the south” signals he’s addressing the most politically sensitive geography: high demand, high prices, loud local opposition. By invoking “brownfield sites,” he reaches for the policy talisman of the era: build homes, but do it on previously used land so you can claim environmental virtue and economic necessity at once. It’s a rhetorical twofer: growth without guilt.
The subtext is that the fight isn’t about whether to build, but where to place the disruption. “Find” makes redevelopment sound like discovery rather than a contested process involving compulsory purchase, remediation costs, and communities wary of density. “Without taking too much land take” quietly concedes some greenfield loss may be unavoidable, while framing himself as the adult keeping it within bounds.
“And that’s what I’ve done” lands as self-authentication, the politician’s stamp of competence. It’s less a vision than a claim to stewardship: I balanced the competing pressures, I navigated the trade-offs, I took the heat. In a debate where outcomes are slow and blame is instant, Prescott is trying to lock in authorship of the responsible middle.
The intent is managerial credibility. “Down in the south” signals he’s addressing the most politically sensitive geography: high demand, high prices, loud local opposition. By invoking “brownfield sites,” he reaches for the policy talisman of the era: build homes, but do it on previously used land so you can claim environmental virtue and economic necessity at once. It’s a rhetorical twofer: growth without guilt.
The subtext is that the fight isn’t about whether to build, but where to place the disruption. “Find” makes redevelopment sound like discovery rather than a contested process involving compulsory purchase, remediation costs, and communities wary of density. “Without taking too much land take” quietly concedes some greenfield loss may be unavoidable, while framing himself as the adult keeping it within bounds.
“And that’s what I’ve done” lands as self-authentication, the politician’s stamp of competence. It’s less a vision than a claim to stewardship: I balanced the competing pressures, I navigated the trade-offs, I took the heat. In a debate where outcomes are slow and blame is instant, Prescott is trying to lock in authorship of the responsible middle.
Quote Details
| Topic | Vision & Strategy |
|---|
More Quotes by John
Add to List
