Can you argue against the greens?

princeofpounds

I'm sure planning is a factor, but I can't believe it's beyond the wit of a Government to legislate specifically that a particular ex-military base, or derelict factory site should be immediately subject to "open planning consent" for housing.

Actually they do, but it is typically only used for things like nuclear power stations etc. It is hard to justify any particular housing development as in the national interest, even if housing itself most certainly is.


The Coalition has tried two main tools to improve things. The first is the change in the National Planning Framework, in particular the decision to favour 'sustainable development' (whatever that is...). Time will tell if that makes enough of a difference to overcome the NIMBYs.


I suspect not for some years, as it will probably take a couple of years for plans to be rejected and the necessary judicial reviews to take place before realisation dawns on councils.


The other instrument was setting higher targets for local authorities. The amount of grumbling about this has been incredible in some areas, but at least it has focused the debate on where to put housing rather than how to squash it. (Edit: these targets are not high!)


In 2012, just 140k planning permissions for house units were given. So it's hardly a surprise that you aren't getting 200k houses two and a half years later!


At least that number of planning grants is now back up to 200k p.a.

TheBlueHorse

s.106 is legalised bribery.

I'll give you permission to build if you grease my palm with silver to build a new skate park for chavs and hoodies to hang around in and make the area ugly and unsafe - and if you don't, no building for you.

the_flying_pig

antrobus wrote: »

... Between 1981 and 1991 (roughly the time that Mrs T was about) the UK population grew by 1.09 million and we built 2.1 million houses. That's almost 2 new houses for each extra person. How is that not enough?

mm, interesting.


I suppose a plausible theory might be as follows:


(1) reducing council house building inevitably reduces overall building;


(2) it was no bad thing to temporarily stop council house building for a decade or so in the 80s given that population growth had slowed a lot;


(3) but it needed to start again with a vengeance say about 15-20 years ago. it didn't. oh dear.




http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pop-estimate/population-estimates-for-uk--england-and-wales--scotland-and-northern-ireland/2013/sty-population-changes.html