Shadow Local Government Secretary Caroline Spelman has called for changes in planning regulations to prevent the practice of ‘garden grabbing’- and the over-development of local neighbourhoods.
Launching legislation in the House of Commons, she protested at the way the Government’s flawed planning rules result in blocks of flats being constructed on the sites of existing homes and gardens, and said: “Development in such a chaotic, unplanned way is unsustainable in the long-term and destructive in the short-term.”
Introducing the Land Use (Gardens Protection) Bill after coming third in the ballot for Private Members Bills, Mrs Spelman declared: “When gardens are part of a family-sized house, the house itself will be demolished in the process to free up land for more denser units of accommodation. This is happening all over the country, in the north and south, in towns, villages and city suburbs.
“But the fact is the existing infrastructure simply cannot cope with such drastic increases in housing density.”
She added: “This Bill is about acknowledging the crucial part gardens and urban green spaces play in creating balanced and rewarding places to live. It’s about making sure we get the right homes in the right places. And above all, it is about giving planning authorities and the communities they represent a real say in the shape of their neighbourhoods.”
In 2000, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott introduced new national planning regulations for housing, which forced developers to cram in at least 12 new dwellings per acre. The flawed rules also class gardens as ‘brownfield’ land, meaning blocks of flats are increasingly being dumped on existing homes and gardens. While Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly has published revised guidelines, she has retained in place the definition of gardens as ‘brownfield’ land, while also maintaining he nationwide minimum density requirements.
These rules have also created a relevant glut of flats in the housing market and a shortage of family homes, forcing up the price of family homes.