News

MPs challenge Prescott’s plans

News

Piers Wehner

03 May 2003

Communities Plan’s housing target for South East draws economic and environmental criticism

A parliamentary select committee has questioned the government’s plans for an extra 200,000 new homes in the South East.

An infrastructure bill of £20bn and “characterless urban sprawl” could be the only legacy of the government’s Communities Plan, say the MPs.

The plan, announced in February, calls for an extra 200,000 homes in the region, in addition to the existing target of 900,000 by 2016.

But in a report published this week, the 11-member Commons ODPM committee said little thought had been given to making the communities sustainable, and questioned “whether the benefits justify such a huge outlay”.

The report estimated that the infrastructure needed to support Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott’s CP would cost around £20bn. So far only £610m has been committed.

It added that the plan would lead to housing swallowing up swathes of greenfield sites, and would create a potentially devastating flood risk, especially in the Thames Gateway, where 11 of the 13 areas designated for development are in floodplains.

Criticism was also levelled at plans to set up two urban development corporations (UDCs) in the Thames Gateway. It said it was “not convinced that there is need for more regeneration agencies”, and that local authorities “should manage the development process from the outset”.

The report states that “building more homes is not a panacea”, and warns of possible environmental damage.

The committee added that it was “concerned” by Prescott’s confession that the CP “was not a wholesale plan for transport infrastructure, education and health” and that the DPM could not confirm that other departments, such as the Treasury and the Department of Transport, would push through the necessary infrastructure.

The plan outlined a policy to build an extra 200,000 homes in four growth areas – in the Thames Gateway, Ashford, Milton Keynes and the London-Stansted-Cambridge corridor.

The plans for the largest of the growth areas, the Thames Gateway are being handled by a committee of cabinet ministers, Misc22, chaired by the prime minister.

Misc22 plans to publish a report on financing the infrastructure for the area next month.

Communities Plan’s housing target for South East draws economic and environmental criticism A parliamentary select committee has questioned the government’s plans for an extra 200,000 new homes in the South East. An infrastructure bill of £20bn and “characterless urban sprawl” could be the only legacy of the government’s Communities Plan, say the MPs. The plan, announced in February, calls for an extra 200,000 homes in the region, in addition to the existing target of 900,000 by 2016. But in a report published this week, the 11-member Commons ODPM committee said little thought had been given to making the communities sustainable, and questioned “whether the benefits justify such a huge outlay”. The report estimated that the infrastructure needed to support Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott’s CP would cost around £20bn. So far only £610m has been committed. It added that the plan would lead to housing swallowing up swathes of greenfield sites, and would create a potentially devastating flood risk, especially in the Thames Gateway, where 11 of the 13 areas designated for development are in floodplains. Criticism was also levelled at plans to set up two urban development corporations (UDCs) in the Thames Gateway. It said it was “not convinced that there is need for more regeneration agencies”, and that local authorities “should manage the development process from the outset”. The report states that “building more homes is not a panacea”, and warns of possible environmental damage. The committee added that it was “concerned” by Prescott’s confession that the CP “was not a wholesale plan for transport infrastructure, education and health” and that the DPM could not confirm that other departments, such as the Treasury and the Department of Transport, would push through the necessary infrastructure. The plan outlined a policy to build an extra 200,000 homes in four growth areas – in the Thames Gateway, Ashford, Milton Keynes and the London-Stansted-Cambridge corridor. The plans for the largest of the growth areas, the Thames Gateway are being handled by a committee of cabinet ministers, Misc22, chaired by the prime minister. Misc22 plans to publish a report on financing the infrastructure for the area next month.