Memorandum by Julia Drown MP (UWP 27)
THE PROPOSED URBAN WHITE PAPER
I would like to comment on a number of areas
in respect of the above inquiry.
Which of the recommendations of the Report of
the Urban Task Force should be a priority for implementation?
Four of the Report's recommendations should
be a priority for implementation—promotion of compact mixed-use
communities; higher density development; the phased release of
greenfield sites; and the harmonisation of VAT rates for new build
and refurbishments.
I fully support the Report's emphasis on creating
compact, many-centred towns and cities of mixed uses, which favour
walking, cycling and public transport. Such an emphasis is essential
if we are to ensure that future development is sustainable and
maximises the use of previously developed sites while minimising
the need to travel.
The Report's challenge to Government and planners
to change the way in which they respond to the concept of urban
density is also very important. The Report demonstrates effectively
how urban space can be used to provide sustainable, mixed use
developments at much higher densities than are often used at present.
I hope that the Government will note the links that the Report
makes between high-density development and good public transport.
The lower the densities the less likely it is that residents will
be able to walk to local facilities and services and the harder
it is to justify a bus route. I fully support the recommendations
for a planning presumption against excessively low-density urban
development and for the provision of advice on the use of density
standards linked to design quality.
The Task Force also makes recommendations on
countering the over-release of greenfield land. In particular,
it is important that local authorities take on board new planning
policy objectives and are prepared to revise old approaches and
plans accordingly. This needs to take place immediately to save
green field sites that are in the process of being unnecessarily
allocated because councils started their planning processes under
the old regulations. The recommendation that local authorities
are required to remove allocations of greenfield land for housing
from development plans where the allocations are no longer consistent
with planning policy objectives, is radical but desirable.
I strongly agree with the Report's proposal
that VAT rates be harmonised in respect of new building, and conversions
and refurbishment. This will encourage local authorities and developers
to ensure that the potential of vacant and derelict properties
is maximised before greenfield options are used.
The future of urban areas suffering from low demand
for housing.
In my constituency of South Swindon, unemployment
is low and the local economy is booming. It makes sense to consolidate
the economic position of our town but not necessarily to try to
expand it if this is at the expense of investment and regeneration
in other parts of the country.
Building still more homes in towns and cities
such as Swindon could determine rather than reflect migration
trends and economic forecasts. Businesses as well as people will
move to an area where the economy is booming and there is plentiful
new housing. But there are many other areas in the country that
are crying out for targeted help in terms of investment and regeneration.
Existing planning policies risk draining people and resources
away from these areas towards regions with low unemployment, stronger
economies and good investment prospects. If the predicted level
of housing is built in the South, it will attract even more in-migration
and the cycle of housing and employment and investment will become
self-perpetuating. The Government must do more to push investment
towards those areas that are most in need of pro-active regeneration
strategies, including supporting house refurbishments and new
building in the North, thus encouraging investment and renewal,
and locating housing in areas with far more brownfield sites and
far fewer environmental constraints.
It is worth noting that projections of migration
are notoriously volatile. Just recently the South West Regional
Planning Conference revised downwards its migration projections
for the region by 10 per cent over the period 1996-2016, making
a significant difference to projected housing need. If migration
trends are so hard to predict accurately, it might suggest that
targeted Government policies could exercise a considerable influence
over them.
How should planning authorities be encouraged
to bring about the speedy release of brownfield sites and foster
creative urban designs?
I have already touched on the issues of brownfield
sites and urban design in my comments on the Urban Task Force
Report.
The speedy release and use of brownfield sites
is essential, as developers argue that even with a sequential
approach to the release of sites it is necessary to use greenfield
sites in order to maintain an adequate supply of new homes. Planning
authorities will only be able to counter this argument if they
can force the use of suitable brownfield alternatives. Government
guidance should require such action, and regional planning conferences
along with regional government offices should monitor compliance.
This might require stronger compulsory purchase powers over sites
and buildings that are not being used, and a national fund to
cover the costs of cleaning up contaminated sites.
Planning authorities must also be encouraged
to realise the full potential of empty homes. Technical models
used to calculate projected housing need should assume low vacancy
rates of no more than 2 per cent. An analysis of the Structure
Plan Authorities' housing projections for Swindon revealed that
if the most recent available vacancy rate was used (2.11 per cent)
rather than an historic figure of 3.96 per cent, the housing allocation
was reduced by 400.
Furthermore, with ambitious and effective Empty
Property Strategies, local authorities will be able to bring significant
numbers of homes back into use. Such strategies should be given
a higher profile within local plans and structure plans.
In respect of urban design, the density at which
housing is built on brownfield sites will determine the level
of contribution made by these sites to the overall housing requirement
and will, therefore, have important implications for the need
to build on greenfield land. Planning authorities must be urged
to emulate best practice in urban design, such as examples in
Manchester and Liverpool where imaginative urban design not only
accommodates far more homes but produces vibrant, sustainable
communities, that are better served by local facilities and public
transport networks. The developers Urban Splash have been demonstrating
in the North that mixed use developments with high densities are
not only architecturally exciting, but also profitable for the
developer and help in the regeneration of cities. They have built
using densities of over 300 homes per hectare in some cases, and
regularly build at densities of over 100 homes per hectare.
Planners must revisit their own assumptions
about the number of car parking spaces needed per housing unit.
They should also undertake an analysis of the different types
of houses that may be needed in their locality. Such analyses
are likely to indicate a rapidly increasing demand for smaller
apartments for one person. These type of homes are conducive to
higher density development and require less land.
What added value should a Government White Paper
provide in addition to other Government announcements on urban
policy?
The proposed Urban White Paper should emphasise
the importance of consulting and involving local people in urban
regeneration projects. Local people should be encouraged to have
a sense of ownership over developments within their community,
as regeneration projects are more likely to succeed and prosper
if they have the support and participation of the community that
they are aiming to serve. The Government should, therefore, explore
and promote new methods of community involvement in planning decisions.
In addition, far more power should be given to local authorities
and far less to developers to decide on the detailed planning
of new buildings and conversions.
Julia Drown MP
Member of Parliament for South Swindon
12 January 2000
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