Supplementary memorandum by the Town and
Country Planning Association (TCPA) (AH 73(a))
AFFORDABILITY AND THE SUPPLY OF HOUSING
You may have seen the Daily Telegraph coverage
recently, which stated that immigration "is the single and
simple reason for the disappearance of green spaces". Although
the TCPA and the newspaper quickly rebutted this view, I am taking
this opportunity to write to you to underline that the biggest
cause in the need for more housing is, in fact, that we are living
longer.
The TCPA is an independent non-party political
charity. Our objectives are: ensuring everyone has a decent home,
empowering communities and promoting sustainable development.
We also aim to explode a number of myths that surround the supply
of new housing in England.
Economically, for example, it is sometimes suggested
that turning off the supply of housing in the South will lead
to more investment in the north of England. The evidence (following
several years of significant constraint in the Southeast, and
a worsening North/South divide) clearly shows that cutting housing
supply has no such economic effect. The only impact is worsening
inequalities for those locked out of the property market. For
example the fire fighter reportedly forced to commute to Reading
from Wales in order to find an affordable home (The Guardian).
Revitalising the economies of regions furthest
from the Southeast is clearly a vital objective. We therefore
need to develop a suite of infrastructure, skills and investment
policies, as well as interventions for jobs creation, in the midlands,
the north and the far west of the country. With stronger regional
economies and more jobs, homes will follow. If successful this
policy will relieve pressure on housing markets elsewhere.
Simply restricting housing supply to try and
boost regional economic development priorities has failed, would
be ineffective and is socially divisive. Successful regional development
throughout the UK depends upon a strong and successful base in
London and the southeast. Failing to provide sufficient homes
for the people and employers who want them in the south of England
is therefore harming economic development for the nation as a
whole.
Socially, many of the problems of constraining
housing supply are obvious. There are now around 100,000 homeless
households in the UK, including more than 40,000 in London. This
should be unacceptable to civilised society. The existence of
empty homes in the north is not a solution for the vast majority
of such families. Research produced by the University of Cambridge
for the TCPA has shown that between 200,000 and 220,000 homes
per year are needed, whilst actual supply is only around 70% of
this total. Contrary to many perceptions the biggest single reason
for the need for more homes (around 40%) is that there are more
of us, the settled population, and that we are living longer.
We published this key finding in our journal, Town & Country
Planning in September 2005 in our widely quoted report "Housing
the Next Generation" which I attach for your information.
Environmentally, the protection of the environment
will always be a key priority. It is a major reason behind the
creation and existence of a planning system in the UK. A concentrated
and contained approach to new development is the best way to prevent
sprawl and maximise the gains, environmental and otherwise, that
can arise from new development. Such gains include £2.5 billion
per year from developers' contributions to planning gain agreements
for public services and capital expenditure mainly controlled
by local authorities. New housing can also significantly reduce
commuting and the release of harmful carbon emissions into the
atmosphere. Net inward commuting to Milton Keynes for example
means that it makes absolute environmental sense to locate more
housing close to the jobs people want in that city. Housing currently
accounts for 27% of the UK's carbon emissions, therefore it can
make environmental sense to replace older stock with new more
energy efficient homes to improve both levels of emissions and
resource efficiency ratings. As the TCPA demonstrated in its popular
"Biodiversity by Design—Guide for Sustainable Communities"
(supported by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) residential
areas provide very high levels of flora and fauna often more successfully
than agricultural land uses they replace, though decisions on
new development will always have to depend in part on the environmental
impact. Development will not always be perfect, but new housing,
if the standards are high enough can provide answers to the toughest
environmental challenges we face.
The TCPA is today publishing guidance for local
planning authorities on "Sustainable Design and Construction".
I also enclose this for your information.
We made a number of these points in evidence
to your inquiry but felt that it was important to underline some
of them since oral evidence sessions have now concluded.
Gideon Amos MA RIBA MRTPI
Director
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