In a Government produced report, ‘Housing and Planning
Statistics 2010’,* it is revealed there were 21.5 million households in England
in 2008-09: 14.6 million owner-occupiers; 3.8 million social renters; and 3.1
million private renters. The number of households is projected to rise by 5.8
million from 2008 to 2033, an increase of 232,000 per year on average reaching
27.5 million in 2033.
In my opinion the effects of the increase will bring about
devastating changes to our countryside, not only because of virgin land being
taken for urban development, but for additional job-related industrial
complexes, trading outlets, out-of-town shopping malls and concomitant infrastructure,
roads and rail etc. Extra sources of energy in the form of power
stations, wind generators, solar farms and fracking units will be required to
keep up with increased demand – all of these sources requiring land.
The answer to reducing the demand for more land would appear
to be insoluble, but certain things could be done to mitigate the impact of encroachment,
such as voluntary reduction of family size, i.e., no more than two children,
preferably one; proper control of immigration and the
building of high-rise accommodation, ideally on brownfield sites.
Links
*Housing and Planning Statistics 2010
Estimating Housing Need
Homes for the Future – A new analysis of housing need and
demand in England
Census prompts revision of future housing needs
CPR’s Policy on Housing
CPR’s Policy on Planning
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