Reports on today’s Sunday Telegraph that the Housing Minister is worried that young people unable to buy or rent homes will turn them away from democratic values and a market led economy have truth. As someone said, he does not touch on the impact of immigration. Nor does he touch on the damage to economic growth that housing policy failure imposes.
If the Minister wants to change the tenor of the housing debate he must find ways to persuade the voters opposed to more new homes their views on immigration and economic prosperity are wrong. Take these examples.
One, a lot of nimbies say that if you stop immigration you solve the housing problem. He must explain what then happens. And why this is not possible.
Two, why is an ageing population creating a housing shortage? He never touches in this issue. It impacts on household numbers more than immigration.
Three, he needs to recognise local spatial concerns and explain why they are misguided. For example, the location of new growth is dictated by where employers go, not by councils saying no houses here in the Thames Valley, but lots up north. Spatial planning policy, otherwise called strategic planning seeks to identify and foresee market directions and facilitate these changes.
Four, he needs to explain why we need a national spatial plan, which protects high value locations like AONB’s but does not protect low value open countryside or green belt locations.
Five, new communities with London standard public transport connectivity do not all need cars or parking places. How will this standard of travel be delivered?
Six, rural densification can make a difference. Urban densification can do much more. Give examples.
Seven, local communities do not like surprise local changes. Which means credible long term cross border, cross party spatial planning must be introduced. Surprises must stop.
Imagine an agreement between Labour and Conservative patties to build twice as many new homes per year over the next 20 years, with majority local support in each area! How would that transform the general election housing debate.
Ian Campbell
11 February 2024
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