January 21, 2005

Eight million people will be asked if they want the builders in their backyard – but Prescott doesn’t have to take any notice of what they say

Plans to build up to 640,000 new homes in the South East over the next 20 years are to be sent out to consultation to eight million householders this month.

The proposal from the South East England Regional Assembly to meet a projected housing shortfall could result in 240,000 houses on greenfield sites and is expected to provoke intense local opposition.

The 50 Tories on the 111-strong assembly have managed to reduce the totals from the 720,000 proposed by John Prescott last autumn. Environmental and rural groups are preparing campaigns to block the programme, giving warning of water shortages and transport congestion. But housing organisations insist the homes are urgently needed to address homelessness and meet economic growth in the South East.

Under the plans, which will be unveiled on Monday, the most heavily developed areas will be the western Thames corridor round Reading, Basingstoke and Slough, the Sussex and Kent coast and Milton Keynes and Aylesbury Vale. Housing hot spots will also be around urban areas and ports and transport links, including Portsmouth, Southampton, Brighton, Dover, Margate and Crawley.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England said the draft plan had only a 60 per cent brownfield target for new housing which meant that 240,000 homes could be built on the countryside over the next 20 years. “Crowding development in the South East ignores the needs of those elsewhere and damages our environment, possibly beyond repair. Natural resources would be overstretched, health services and transport overloaded and people’s quality of life will suffer,” a spokesman said.

On January 31 the South East England Regional Assembly will send out copies of its proposals to all householders in one of the biggest regional democratic exercises ever held.
The consultation exercise follows new laws last year which require greater public consultation for developments. A final decision would be made by Mr Prescott, the Deputy prime Minister, in early 2007.