§ Lord Hamptonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What research has been undertaken at a national and regional level to assess the scope to increase the capacity of urban areas for new dwellings and to encourage people to choose to go back into such areas.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Baroness Hayman)We are not aware of any national studies of the scope to increase the capacity of urban areas. The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions has, however, studied the possible impacts of increased development and activity in such areas in a research project titled "Urban Consolidation: the Impact of Intensification", the results of which we hope to publish soon. The department has also part-funded research with the London Planning Advisory Committee (LUAC) on "Sustainable Residential Quality: New Approaches to Urban Living", which examines the potential for new housing whilst maintaining urban environmental quality and fostering sustainable developments. LPAC hope to publish the report early in the new year.
The Housing Sub-Group of the UK Round Table on Sustainable Development commissioned a review of a sample of local authority urban capacity studies, published in February as Housing and Urban Capacity.