§ Lord Archer of Sandwellasked Her Majesty's Government:
What measures they intend to bring forward to raise the density of new housing developments in London and the South East. [HL6302]
§ The Minister of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, (Lord Rooker)In the Deputy Prime Minister's parliamentary Statement of 18 July on 41WA sustainable communities he announced the Government's intentions for tackling the housing shortage in London and the South East. The Statement explained that the Government expect the housing numbers already agreed in regional planning guidance for the South East to be delivered, working within the presumption of making better use of land by improving design, increasing densities and using brownfield sites to the full. In the Statement, the Deputy Prime Minister announced that he would intervene in planning applications for housing that involve a density of fewer than 30 dwellings per hectare net.
The Town and Country Planning (Residential Density) (London and the South East England) Direction 2002 is published today, which gives effect to this announcement. From 2 December local planning authorities in London and the South East will have to consult the Deputy Prime Minister before giving planning permission for low density housing developments.