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Welcome call for smart growth in South East

Jul 27 2005

Friends of the Earth welcomed calls today from the Commission on Sustainable Development in the South East that development in the region must focus on "smart growth" [1]. The Commission called for an end to the traditional focus on maximising economic growth, arguing that growth must only be of the type that improves people's quality of life and protects the environment.

The environmental campaign group welcomed the Commission's emphasis on the need to provide affordable housing, rather than just meeting general housing demand. The Commission also raised serious concerns over the methodology used in the Barker Report, arguing that far less housing was needed to tackle house price inflation. They state that more affordable housing should be provided directly, a very different approach to the Barker report's preference for putting price at the heart of the planning system and relying on trickledown for those in need [2].

Friends of the Earth planning advisor Hugh Ellis said:

"This study rightly highlights the need for a rethink in development for the south east. New developments must remain within environmental limits, rather than pretending we can meet limitless demand. Unfortunately, the Government is stampeding in the opposite direction, with its plan to wreck the planning system in order to allow the building of thousands of executive homes all over green-field sites in the South East."

The Commission's report also highlighted the urgent need to reduce the pressures on the transport system and on water resources. It also called for an economic focus on tackling low employment rates in other regions and in less prosperous areas of the South East.

Notes

[1] See "Smart Growth for the South East" - www.ippr.org.uk

[2] See www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefings/implement_barker.pdf (PDF)

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