Archived press release

Killing two birds with new homes

30 November 1998

Britain's growing traffic and housing crises could both be tackled in one bold move, a new report from Friends of the Earth reveals today.

Government forecasts say 4.4 million new households may be needed in England by 2016.Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has said that two fifths of these households may be built on greenfield sites - threatening precious greenbelt, wildlife areas and countryside all over the country. Meanwhile, our towns and cities are clogged up with private cars.

The solution? Build homes where the car parks used to be.

The report, by planner David Williams of consultants Tellus 42, estimates that there are 6,800 public surface car parks in England, providing 738,000 spaces. These car parks take up about 1,850 hectares - an area the size of a London Borough.

In most of our town centres, too much land is used for car parking. In King's Lynn, Norfolk,for example, one fifth of all town centre land is used for parking spaces. But almost one in four public town centre car parks in the FOE survey usually have empty spaces. Quarter of a million new homes could be built in the 432 hectares taken up by these under-used car parks.

This would help regenerate towns and cities, cut the need for greenfield housing and make local councils money as the rents and rates payable on these sites would rise sharply. If half of all surface car parks were developed for commercial and residential use, total rates revenue could be up to £1 billion a year. This could provide much needed investment capital for economic and social regeneration.

The FOE survey concludes that “the sympathetic development of these sites would improve the local environment and restore the attractive character of these lively and historic areas... Developing car parks ... could also dramatically improve the environment of our streets,making them safer, cleaner and releasing roadspace for other civic and social activities”.

Of the 140 local councils who took part in the survey, 14 said that they would definitely like to take part in pilot projects to redevelop the car parks for housing. They are:

• London Borough of Haringey
• Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council
• Blackburn with Darwen BC
• Cambridge City Council
• Crawley Borough Council
• Kingston upon Hull City
• Council Leicester City Council
• N.E. Lincolnshire Council
• City of Stoke on Trent
• Amber Valley Borough
• Council Bedford Borough Council
• Carlisle City Council
• Charnwood Borough Council
• Purbeck District Council

Commenting, FOE Transport Campaigner Roger Higman said:

“All over the country, our town and city centres are blighted by concrete prairies,and choked by private cars. The thousands of hectares of under-used car parks are a gross waste of land, that could be used to provide much needed housing,meeting social need and raising new money for economic and social regeneration. Meanwhile our precious greenfield sites are threatened by new housing developments. Local councils could kill two birds with new homes by releasing car parks for housing. Government and Councils must start working together to make this a key part of a new green housing and transport plan for Britain.”

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust