22/09/2024
The future for English Towns and Cities?
The Government has today published a 'Working Paper' on further changes to the planning system, looking to introduce 'Brownfield Passports'. These are intended to speed up the redevelopment of brownfield sites within urban areas and increase the density of housing.
The paper states "Many of our urban areas have been developed at a relatively low density, especially compared with cities and towns in parts of continental Europe; no square kilometre in England has more than 25,000 inhabitants, when cities such as Barcelona and Paris have more than double that."
What are your thoughts? Are higher housing densities in urban areas a way to reduce the need for greenfield developments? Or will a doubling of the density, and a proposed minimum of 4-storey new buildings, destroy the character of existing Towns?
Generally it is only large developers, home builders and local authorities that have the resources to respond to government consultations. This means that new policies often don't take into account the views of smaller builders, town and parish councils and individuals, those who are closest to the real-world impact of these changes.
If you or your business/organisation would like to know more about how we can help you to have your say on national and local planning policy consultations, email us at [email protected].
(Photograph: Barcelona, Spain)
