HC 1652 Communities and Local Government CommitteeWritten submission from David Holliday

If Housing Act 1985 Part X Overcrowding is repealed there will be a need for an additional 600,000 dwellings on the adoption of Housing Act 2004 Part 1 “crowding and space, bedroom standard”.

This figure has been with me for a few years.

Few people would argue that statutory overcrowding provisions need revision now that overcrowded dwellings are so prevalent.

I do not intend to add opinion to financing new housing; formerly slum clearance schemes released land for development. Criteria like: having a WC entered externally from the house are no use now, but terraces of urban houses with less than four storeys could be fair game for clearance, and development involving six storey properties.

I don’t want to see this, I’m 60 years old.

Local planning authority should be able to retain some of the original housing, though often more than 100 years old, still tenable.

Housing Health and Safety Rating System (Version 2) provides a précis of crowding and space.

October 2011