Government should be looking for ways to provide land for development to ease housing crisis Today’s proposals by the Government to give councils greater powers to ban development of back gardens are unnecessary and counterproductive. Every single Local Authority already has the power under existing planning rules to take into account any consideration they feel necessary when assessing a site specific planning application or when setting policy – and thus can make a balanced judgement on whether to let the development go ahead. The proposals will simply make it less likely that Local Authority Councillors and officers will feel able to support reasonable development proposals in such locations. This follows on from the impact of Eric Pickles’ recent letter to Local Authorities. In it he confirmed the rapid abolition of the current regional planning system without providing any details on its replacement or what should apply in the meantime - a move that is seeing housing planning applications across the country now being refused. This country already has a major housing shortage with less homes being built since 1923 and a shortfall approaching a million. Millions are struggling to enter the housing market and are having to adapt their lives accordingly, and stay with parents longer, move away form the area they were born and delay starting a family. There are now approaching five million people on the Local Authority housing waiting list. The essential precondition for solving this already acute crisis is providing enough land for the new homes the population of this country needs. Proposals such as today’s that encourage a blanket ban on particular types of sites do totally the opposite and are completely at odds with the new Government’s clear pre election pledge to increase housing provision. Speaking today HBF’s Executive Chairman Stewart Baseley said; “Councils already have the powers to accept or reject any application. These unnecessary proposals risk causing further confusion. The country has a housing crisis and the homes we need have to be built somewhere. In many cases developing gardens is appropriate and the best was to provide desperately needed homes. Where not appropriate Councils already have the power to reject applications. Working out how we supply enough land to build the homes we desperately need is the issue that needs addressing. Millions will hope it is.” Local Authorities face difficult choices in determining where to build vital new homes. They may choose to grant planning applications for large garden sites as an appropriate way to supply much needed housing in a manner that is not detrimental to the local character of an area. Building on such sites is often important for smaller local firms which provide much needed local employment. For media enquiries, or to arrange an interview, please contact Steve Turner on 020 7960 1606 / 07919 307 760 or steve.turner@hbf.co.uk Notes to Editors: 1. The Home Builders Federation (HBF) is the principal representative body for private sector home builders and voice of the home building industry in England and Wales. The HBF’s 300 member firms account for some 80% of all new homes built in England and Wales in any one year, and include companies of all sizes, ranging from multi-national, household names through regionally based businesses to small local companies: www.hbf.co.uk 2. The Department for Communities published research by Kingston University on Garden developments: understanding the issues on 19 January 2010.
