Assetz® News - Sustainable housing growth gains support

Sustainable housing growth gains support

22nd June 2006 |

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has revealed that there has been an "encouraging response" to its New Growth Points Initiative, indicating that a huge number of towns and cities are committed to the idea of sustainable growth.

It is an issue that has been gaining increased prominence in recent years and it is beginning to have a serious impact upon town planning and the property investment business in general.

The initiative is based around strategies for local economic growth, balancing jobs and new homes and designing "attractive, sustainable places to live".

Already, the DCLG claims to have received 20 bids, representing as many as 50 local authorities. It claims that applicants have come forward from all over the country and if all are successful it will lead to the construction of around 80,000 new homes by 2016.

One area in particular that appears to be committed to the idea of sustainable growth is the south-west, where delegates met today at Dartington Hall. Senior figures from the south-west of England have been discussing issues including carbon emissions and the region's distinctiveness as well as the role played by the media in promoting and advancing "the sustainability revolution".

Julian Dennis, chair of Sustainability South West, said: "It's been a critical year for sustainable development in the UK and it's time for the regions to get in on the act.

"The south-west has the fastest growing population and so development, in particular housing, is a massive issue for us. Now, more than ever, we need to ensure that growth is sustainable and enhances the region's unique cultural and environmental assets."

Ruth Kelly, secretary of state for communities and local government, has been particularly encouraged by the response to the housing plans.

"Many of our regional towns and cities want to grow and are experiencing increasing housing pressures. They want to become more attractive places for business to invest and young people to stay and find a home. Of course we will need to look carefully at the proposals coming forward but I am greatly encouraged by the good early response to this scheme," she said at the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) conference.

The basic idea behind the government's initiative is that all growth is governed by a commitment to sustainability, which will involve a constant emphasis on the environmental impact of all building decisions. Eco-development has been gaining momentum for some time, but the government now intends to ensure that it occupies a central position in all construction proposals.

Ms Kelly added: "We have an ageing, growing population and house building rates are simply not meeting this rising demand. We need to build more homes in all parts of the country, but that growth must be sustainable. Unless we build more homes across the board we face increasing problems of overcrowding, homelessness and pressures on first-time buyers."