Housing Policy Risks Northern Growth

Housing Minister Nick Raynsford MP will today be warned that Government policy to increase housing density could put the economy of the North at risk.

Housing Policy Risks Northern Growth

Housing Minister Nick Raynsford MP will today be warned that Government policy to increase housing density could put the economy of the North at risk.

Known as PPG3, the policy aims to provide more terraced homes and flats and, as a result, reduce land use.

But business leaders in the North are expressing concern that the policy is designed to tackle problems in the congested South East. They argue that many Northern towns and cities, which already have a far higher proportion of terraced homes than the rest of the country, should be allowed to build a broader mix of properties to compete with the South on economic and social terms.

These concerns will be put to the Minister at a special conference organised by the House Builders Federation in Manchester on March 19

Pierre Williams, spokesman for the House Builders Federation, explained: In many areas PPG3 makes good sense. But worry is increasing that more economically disadvantaged cities in the North will not be able to attract new business and investment unless they can provide the necessary mix of terraced, semi-detached and detached homes that other parts of the country enjoy.

The North wants to compete with the rest of the country on equal terms. Having a similar housing stock is vital in achieving this.

What is needed is flexibility in the planning guidance to allow these cities to decide their own housing requirements.