HBF attended the spring debates organised by the South East England Regional Assembly in order to shape the future of the South East Plan.
HBF nominated representatives from member companies to attend the majority of sessions. The HBF's Andrew Whitaker and Pete Errington attended two sessions, on Surrey and South Hampshire respectively. The sessions debated issues on a county or sub-region basis that will influence the preparation of the South East Plan which will replace existing government regional planning guidance contained in RPG9.
Member feedback was positive, with a feeling that the tide is turning away from anti-housebuilding to an anti-NIMBY stance amongst many politicians and the public at large. Consequently, although there were a few dissenting voices, there appeared to be a general acceptance amongst participants (mainly local council officers and politicians) of the need for more housing provision in the future. There was debate about the scale required, but the need to increase housing provision was agreed almost unanimously.
SEERA presented the results of a MORI poll they had undertaken as part of the consultation process. This sought the views of a representative sample of the the region's pouplation about the issues and potential solutions to the region's problems. The biggest single issue by far was housing - in particular, the lack of housing provision overall, the lack of affordable housing and the cost of housing. It also explored the demand for housing. The largest demand was for detached and semi-detached family housing, which suggests that government policy in PPG3 focusing on flats and small units of accommodation in urban centres is not meeting demands.
The background papers prepared to support the spring debates and the results of the MORI poll are all available on the South East Plan pages of the SEERA website www.southeast-ra.gov.uk
Further information:
andrew.whitaker@hbf.co.uk(Andrew Whitaker)
HBF's National Planning Advisor
Tel: 020 7960 1626
or
pete.errington@hbf.co.uk(Pete Errington)
Southern Region Planner
Tel: 023 8067 1030.