[OT] WAS : Affordable ... NOW: Housing policy

["Mark Harrison (Groups)" <mph@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, 2005-08-09 at 21:56 +0100, Mal Lansell wrote:
> I'm firmly of the belief, (and heading rapidly off-topic) that the
> solution to housing "problems" isn't to build ever smaller
rabbit
> hutch
> starter homes, but to flood the higher end of the market with
> spacious
> detached properties.

Personally, I'd love to be doing these projects, and have spent about 10
years arguing with the local planning office about two potential sites.
On one of them, the plan we have put forward is EXACTLY what you suggest
- large, detached houses, with good sized gardens (about 1/2 an acre
each.)

The trouble is, in this part of the country (Sussex) at least, there is
such a clamp-down in terms of planning policy on what land can be built
on, coupled with a demand from Central Goverment that the county
structure plan includes a huge number of additional homes by 2020, that
the only way to meet both sets of legislation is to build what is
euphemistically called "high-density housing".

The only way to do as you suggest, and build housing round here, would
be to remove the "green belt" restrictions, at which point you
can
safely assume an outcry from a passionate but active minority who
violently (this is not a metaphor - I was involved in the Newbury bypass
and Twyford Down roads projects!) oppose such a move, and a general
grumbling from general population who want to see amenity spaces and
views, rather than lots of housing estates.

The model you suggest has been done reasonably well in the Maidenbower
development near Crawley - about 9,000 new homes, all houses rather than
flats, with a mix of 2-, 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-bed designs. This was built
between 1990 and 2000. By comparison, since 2000, the only new
development has been "executive apartments". Which is to say tiny
hutch
flats, that are kicked out at prices as high as larger houses with
gardens, on the basis that they have, gasp, granite worktops and halogen
lights :-)

Glad you posted though - it reminds me I was meant to call the planning
consultant yesterday to chase up a project :-)

Regards,

Mark