A report (by a construction company) said that the construction industry persisted in building communities that were "pre-programmed to fail", making the requirement for a fourth programme of demolition and regeneration by 2035 increasingly likely.
Source: Failing Communities: Breaking the cycle, Wates Group Limited (01372 861000)
Links: Report | Wates press release
Date: 2005-Dec
A report said that the suspicion and hostility of residents towards housebuilding would be reduced if councils could retain more of the money generated by development to invest in major projects such as roads, schools and flood defences.
Source: Helping Local Government to Deliver Sustainable Communities, Local Government Association (020 7664 3000)
Links: Report | LGA press release
Date: 2005-Dec
The government began consultation on national planning policies for housing, which regional planning bodies and local authorities should take into account in developing regional spatial strategies and local development frameworks. The aim was that the planning system was used to its maximum effect to ensure the delivery of decent homes that were well designed, made the best use of land, were energy efficient, made the most of new building technologies, and helped to deliver sustainable development.
Source: Consultation Paper on a New Planning Policy Statement 3 (PPS3) Housing, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Consultation document | Friends of the Earth press release | POS press release
Date: 2005-Dec
A report sought to identify the practical implications for land-use planning of implementing the approach set out in a government consultation paper (published in July 2005). It said that many local politicians would not support substantial policy change in favour of a more market-led approach to housing land supply.
Source: Will They Work?: Planners' views of government proposals on planning for housing, Campaign to Protect Rural England (020 7981 2800)
Links: Report | CPRE press release
Date: 2005-Nov
Campaigners said that government plans to introduce a market-based approach to planning for housing would devastate the countryside and fail to meet the need for affordable housing.
Source: Housing Manifesto, Campaign to Protect Rural England (020 7981 2800)
Links: Manifesto (pdf) | CPRE press release
Date: 2005-Oct
A report confirmed the importance of using planning obligations in the delivery of affordable housing. As developers and local authorities were becoming more familiar with using planning obligations, the system was improving. Delivering affordable housing in this way made a valuable contribution to the government?s aims of mixed communities, in particular by providing access to land in high value areas. The main drawbacks of the system were perceived to be the delays in negotiation and the resulting costs.
Source: Christine Whitehead et al., Value for Money of Delivering Affordable Housing through Section 106, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (020 7944 3000)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf) | Hansard | ODPM press release
Date: 2005-Jul
A think-tank report said that the British culture of centrally-planned development - a system established by the 1947 Town and Country Planning Act and still embraced by politicians of all parties - was responsible for a serious shortage of affordable, desirable, high-quality housing.
Source: Alan Evans and Oliver Hartwich, Unaffordable Housing: Fables and myths, Policy Exchange (020 7340 2650)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jul
The government issued a circular on planning obligations aimed at speeding up the system, to support the delivery of development, including new housing.
Source: Planning Obligations, Circular 05/2005, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (020 7944 3000)
Links: Circular (pdf) | ODPM press release
Date: 2005-Jul
The government began consultation on proposals to reform the planning system, so that it responded better to market demand for more homes.
Source: Planning for Housing Provision: Consultation paper, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (020 7944 3000)
Links: Consultation document (pdf) | Hansard | ODPM press release | TCPA press release
Date: 2005-Jul
A think-tank report drew key lessons from the 'New Towns' experience which should be considered in relation to the new 'Growth Areas'. A vision was needed of who the housing in the Growth Areas was for, and the types of new communities to be created. The provision of housing at higher densities, in high-quality neighbourhoods, should not be compromised by the drive to reduce building costs.
Source: Jim Bennett, From New Towns to Growth Areas: Learning from the past, Institute for Public Policy Research (020 7470 6100)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2005-May
The results were published from a survey of local authorities on the housing and planning implications of the government's sustainable communities plan (launched in 2003). It said that increasing the supply of affordable housing remained the most important issue for local authorities; that the reduction in capital funding for housing was likely to have major implications for local authorities in meeting local demand for housing; and that there was growing evidence of closer joint working between housing and planning departments.
Source: Communities Plan: Housing and planning implications, Local Government Association (020 7664 3000)
Links: Summary (pdf)
Date: 2005-Apr
A report contained a series of essays focusing on housing, planning and the economy in Wales.
Source: Alison Clements (ed.), Game Plan: Housing, planning and the economy, Chartered Institute of Housing Cymru (029 2076 5760)
Links: Summary
Date: 2005-Apr
The government announced changes to its housing planning policy (PPG3), designed to ensure that planning applications for housing or mixed-use developments on redundant commercial land were considered favourably; and that, alongside a continued rural exception approach, local planning authorities could allocate small sites solely for affordable housing in small rural communities, which would be required to be permanently dedicated to meeting the needs of key workers and local people. The government also began consultation on further proposed changes, aimed at ensuring that the mix of housing provision proposed by local planning authorities met the needs of local housing markets, and provided people with choice; and that prospective developers demonstrated how their proposals would respond to these needs, encouraging them to work with local planning authorities before submitting their plans.
Source: Planning Policy Guidance Note 3: Housing Update - Supporting the Delivery of New Housing, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236) | Planning Policy Guidance Note 3: Housing Update - Planning for Sustainable Communities in Rural Areas, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister | Planning for Mixed Communities - Consultation paper, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister | House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 24 January 2005, columns 1-5WS, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: New Housing guidance (pdf) | Rural areas guidance (pdf) | Consultation document (pdf) | Hansard | ODPM press release
Date: 2005-Jan
