CPRE [1] expressed dismay today (Thursday) at unrealistic and unsustainable new housing targets. In their latest advice to Government, the National Housing and Planning Advice Unit (NHPAU) [2], calls for up to 290,500 new homes to be built each year in England.

Kate Gordon, CPRE’s Senior Planning Officer said:

‘We acknowledge the need for more homes but at around three times present construction rates [3], these figures are hopelessly unachievable. They cannot be disregarded, however, because if pursued they could still cause immense harm to the countryside, without making any difference to the nation’s need for affordable housing.’

‘Local councils could be faced with no choice but to allocate greenfield land for housing development to meet these high targets. Developers would then ‘cherry pick’ undeveloped land, which is more profitable and easier to develop than brownfield locations.  A worst case scenario would be that developers abandon urban areas completely and focus their efforts on building in the countryside.’

CPRE’s concerns include:
• a failure by the NHPAU to understand that we cannot build our way out of the housing affordability problem – the economics of housing is far more complicated than simply believing that if we set higher housing targets, more will be built and house prices will fall [4];
• a failure to understand the crucial role that the planning system plays in delivering development in the wider public interest while conserving the landscape, natural resources and environmental quality;
• a failure to recognise that housing supply problems stem from unstable, unsustainable finance arrangements in the development industry, and have little to do with the planning system.

Kate Gordon concluded:

‘We will continue to raise these concerns with Ministers. Our housing industry is in crisis, with construction at its lowest level for many years. It is common knowledge that the UK has an affordability and housing supply problem. Rather than come up with practical solutions, the Government’s housing advisers’ seem to have completely missed the point.’
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NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England. We advocate positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside. Founded in 1926, we have 60,000 supporters and a branch in every county. President: Bill Bryson. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen. www.cpre.org.uk

2.  The National Housing and Planning Advice Unit (NHPAU) was set up in 2007 following Kate Barker's recommendation. Their remit was to advise on housing affordability matters.  In their latest advice, More homes for more people: advice to Ministers on housing levels to be considered in regional plans, the NHPAU call for higher housing targets in regional plans. For England, these range from a lower target of 237,000 homes a year to 290,500 homes a year (net additions) up to 2026. The NHPAU’S advice carries considerable weight with Inspectors and expert panels whose job it is to assess regional plans at Examinations in Public, and with the Secretary of State who has the final say on local and regional housing targets.

3. Department for Communities and Local Government figures for 2008/09 show there were 134,000 completions. See CLG’s Table 209: Permanent Dwellings Completed - http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/323495.xls.

4. The solution to the housing affordability problem requires the right kind of homes to be built, particularly affordable homes, to meet identified needs and more stable models of housing finance and delivery. For further information please see CPRE (2007) Planning for Housing Affordability, available from http://www.cpre.org.uk/filegrab/1planning-for-housing-affordability.pdf?ref=3128