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'''This article''' focuses on understanding and interpreting projections of household formation, which are published periodically by the UK government
 
{{Location data
| location = England, United Kingdom
| coordinates = 52° 31' 51.68" N, 1° 15' 53.66" W
}}
 
{{Newslist|keyword=Housing UK|limit=3}}
 
{{Read more|Housing UK news}}
 
{{Video
| video = r7-Uki1nzCg
| title = Woodspring Revealed
| authors = Skye Spring, Sep 7, 2022
}}
 
* England’s housing strategy carries a high carbon cost – unless politicians are willing to change plans, [https://theconversation.com/englands-housing-strategy-carries-a-high-carbon-cost-unless-politicians-are-willing-to-change-plans-189729 The Conversation] (Nov 10, 2022) — "our research demonstrates that, based on current trends, England’s housing strategy could consume our entire carbon budget by 2050."
 
This article is the current main article for Housing and land UK community action. Separate pages cover [[Land activism UK]], [[Housing UK news]] and [[Housing UK community action resources]]
 
== Quotes ==


<blockquote>
<blockquote>
'The projections are not forecasts, estimates or predictions. They are based entirely on what might be expected to occur if previous trends continue and are heavily dependent on the assumptions involved. Such trends can and do change...' The Rt. Hon. John Prescott MP on the 1999 household projections, Hansard, 29 March 1999, column 471<br><br>


"The problems of housing affect most of us. The solutions need to involve all of us, too." Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the Royal Society of Arts, 2015 <ref>[http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/16/matthew-taylor-we-must-face-difficult-truths-to-solve-housing-crisis The Guardian], August 16, 2015</ref>
:* "...sprawling extractive land uses are a lethal threat to the living world. ...unless we count the hectares and decide together how best they should be used, we will lose the struggle to defend the habitable planet." , George Monbiot, Apr 21, 2023<ref>Costa Rica restored its ravaged land to health. The rich UK has no excuse for such complete failure, George Monbiot [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/21/costa-rica-uk-land theguardian.com]</ref>
 
"In the UK, '''the built environment as a whole is responsible for 42% of national emissions'''. The manner in which we produce, operate and renew our built environment continues to curtail [[biodiversity]], pollute ecosystems and encourage unsustainable lifestyles." [https://www.architectscan.org/ Architects Climate Action Network]
 
:"an absolutely groundbreaking result for climate justice".
 
:"This judgment has exciting wider implications for keeping climate change at the heart of all planning decisions.
 
:"It's time for developers and public authorities to be held to account when it comes to the climate impact of their damaging developments." Will Rundle, head of legal at the campaign group, Friends of the Earth, Feb 27, 2020, in response to "Climate campaigners win Heathrow expansion case"<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51658693 BBC News]</ref>
 
"The problems of housing affect most of us. The solutions need to involve all of us, too." Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the Royal Society of Arts, 2015<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/16/matthew-taylor-we-must-face-difficult-truths-to-solve-housing-crisis The Guardian], August 16, 2015</ref>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>


== Latest projections ==
== What communities can do ==
In mid '''March 2006''' the government published projections for the number of households expected to form in each English region over the next 20 years. These are the first nationally published projections to take account of '''2001''' census data, and are likely to influence the national debate about how many new homes are needed and where they should be built.  
 
'''Climate first in housing and planning!'''
 
* demand that government and politicians at all levels of government tell the truth about the carbon cost of new housing development.
* demand a more democratic system of meeting housing need
* demand a system which allows local communities to consider environmental carrying capacity and carbon costs of development, and enables them to influence the level of development to align with national and local carbon reduction targets
* support and encourage local politicians and other commentators who speak up against the undemocratic nature of the existing planning system
* form alliances to advocate for a more democratic and climate friendly planning system, for example of all areas concerned about overdevelopment, or regional alliances
* find and work with developers who explicitly concern themselves with the needs and wishes of local communities as determined and expressed by those local communities themselves, and more sustainable forms of housing
* advocate that 'objectively assessed housing need', a phrase designed to impart a false and inappropriate sense of 'authority', and to cover up what are essentially political choices, be replaced with 'democratically assessed housing need'.
* demand better data, more transparency and better exposition of relevant data, such as the size and age composition of migration flows, and better measures of genuinely affordable and sustainable housing.
 
''see also'': [[Towards a more democratic and climate friendly way of meeting housing need across England#Community action projects|Community action projects]]
 
== The carbon costs of new housing developments ==
 
New housing development has carbon costs from both the construction and use of the development.
 
It is arguable that the present system of carbon accounting does not adequately show, and make transparent, particularly to local communities affected, these carbon costs.
 
'''Given that Local plans cover several future years, this is especially of concern in the 2020's decade when as a nation, and as local communities, we should be reducing carbon costs.'''
 
The carbon costs associated with use of new housing developments has typically in recent years continued to lock us into, for the 2020's decade, yet more car dependency, when its clear we should be and should have been, promoting more sustainable means of transport.
 
=== National and local carbon costs of new housing development ===
 
A recent (Sep 2020) article<ref>New Government Proposals impose 1532 houses a year on Teignbridge, Summary of our concerns [https://actionclimateteignbridge.org/index.php/2020/09/22/new-government-proposals-impose-1532-houses-a-year-on-teignbridge/ actionclimateteignbridge.org], Sep 22...[[Devon]]</ref> by Julian Stringer of [https://actionclimateteignbridge.org Action on Climate in Teignbridge], in response to "Changes to The Current Planning System",<ref>[https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/changes-to-the-current-planning-system gov.uk], Aug 2020</ref> as well as extensive investigation into the likely local effects includes a paragraph on how this might play out nationally: "Building 300,000 houses a year, rather than 160,000 means that 140,000 extra houses will be built. Using 60t per house, embedded emissions from these additional houses will be 8.4Mt, UK GHG emissions in 2019 were 351.5Mt, so this is unnecessary housebuilding could add 2.4% to UK emissions each year."
 
Across a range of local areas eg the whole of the South of England, for some areas the percentage addition attributable to embedded emissions will of course be higher than a national average, and further additional percentages will be attributable to transport and travel implications of the new developments.
 
In addition to the many negative consequences that some are aware of, eg CPRE [[Kent news|Kent]] supports county MPs in attack on 'inherently unreasonable' new housing targets,<ref>[https://cprekent.org.uk/news/cpre-kent-supports-county-mps-in-attack-on-inherently-unreasonable-new-housing-targets/ @protectkent], Sep 13, 2020</ref> it seems unlikely that many people are fully aware of the extent to which proposed changes would also be locking us into higher and higher, year on year carbon costs throughout the next decade when of course we should instead be reducing carbon costs.
 
=== Embodied carbon ===
 
{{Video
| video = MU1mhCa18uc
| title = Regulate Embodied Carbon! ACAN
| authors = Architects Climate Action Network, Jan 31, 2021
}}
 
Greenhouse gas emissions caused by the construction of new buildings and infrastructure, known as 'embodied carbon emissions', are a significant driver of climate change.
 
* These emissions amount to just under 50MtCO2e per year in the UK, a shocking figure that is vastly in excess of 10% of our national emissions.<ref>[https://www.architectscan.org/embodiedcarbon architectscan.org]</ref>
* Embodied carbon emissions account for up to 75% of a building's total emissions over its lifespan.<ref>The Carbon Footprint of Construction, The case for regulating embodied carbon emissions. ACAN Briefing note, Feb 2021 [https://765bf7ec-2dd0-4cf7-9b76-f2f379ab6a0f.filesusr.com/ugd/b22203_ebfaadd09c4e40d18a4943d6e80f6bfd.pdf]</ref>
* More than half the countries in the world have a smaller carbon footprint than the UK construction industry alone.<ref>[https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/limit-the-carbon-footprint-of-construction/ actionnetwork.org]</ref>
 
Despite this, embodied carbon emissions are unregulated in the UK. Current policy and regulation focuses solely on operational energy use, as distinct from embodied carbon, and there are currently no national planning policy or Building Regulation requirements to assess, report or reduce embodied carbon emissions.
 
This must change. So ACAN is calling for the urgent introduction of legislation to regulate embodied carbon emissions in the UK.<ref>[https://www.architectscan.org/embodiedcarbon architectscan.org]</ref> '''You can help''' by reading ACAN's report or its summary, and by signing their petition, via [https://www.architectscan.org/embodiedcarbon architectscan.org]
 
== Disempowered communities? ==
 
Under the present (eg as at Jan 2020) planning system local authorities and communities are effectively dictated to by central government over the housing provision they are required to make via Local Plans. Not only this but those that refuse to plan for the central government numbers are threatened with even higher numbers being imposed.
 
Concerning the level of housing provision local communities are expected to make, any climate concerns local communities may have are not in any way catered for in the Local plan system. Central governments position that climate concerns are irrelevant looks particularly perverse, especially in the light of its own climate change legislation.
 
== Overdevelopment in the South East and the North-South divide ==
 
{{Excerpt|South East England community action|Overdevelopment}}
 
== Citizens assemblies focused on housing ==
 
In recent years [[Citizens' assembly|citizen's assemblies]] have been proposed as a potential solution to dealing with divisive and highly-politicised issues such as same-sex marriage, abortion, and decarbonisation measures.


Anyone interested in sustainable development and in particular how many houses are needed, and where, may find it useful to have an understanding of how projected numbers are arrived at, and alternative possible assumptions and approaches.
The citizens' assembly aims to reinstall trust in the political process by taking direct ownership of decision-making. To that end, citizens' assemblies intend to remedy the "divergence of interests" that arises between elected representatives and the electorate, as well as "a lack in deliberation in legislatures."


== Trend-based projections ==
The global environmental movement [[Extinction Rebellion]] has called for citizen's assemblies on [[climate change]] to be used by governments to make decisions on climate and environmental justice. In the UK, Extinction Rebellion's 3rd demand is: 'government must create and be led by the decisions of a citizens' assembly on climate and ecological justice.' {{W|Citizens' assembly}}


In order to calculate the household projections a number of assumptions are made, in respect of:
Citizens assemblies focused on housing would aim to tackle housing need and fair, equitable and sustainable housing provision consistent with both carbon reduction targets and environmental carrying capacity of regions.
* 'natural' population change - due to changes in births and deaths
* net immigration from overseas
* internal migration - from one region to another
* the changing size and type of households that people live in, as they make choices to live with others (marriage, cohabitation) or on their own


The assumptions made with regard to the last two of these can have significant influence on the resulting pictures of housing need portrayed by the projections. Assumptions made about  the changing size and type of households can significantly affect the apparent total size of housing need. Assumptions about internal migration can have significant impact on what the projections suggest about where housing might be needed. Small changes in the assumptions and data used can significantly affect the resulting projections.
=== An England citizens assembly ===


A wide range of factors, such as changes in interest rates, household incomes and welfare benefits, can profoundly affect household formation rates. So can changes in national and local policy, lifestyles and the cost and availability of housing. There have also been concerns about the reliability of data, particularly at a sub-regional or local level.
An England citizens assembly could, with appropriate expert advice, consider national and regional housing need, fair and proportionate carbon reduction targets for housebuilding, ways of meeting housing need more sustainably at less carbon cost, and the environmental carrying capacity of regions.


Some interest groups, for example, CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, do not accept the fundamentally unsound assumption that we should plan the future simply on the basis of what has happened in the past. According to the CPRE: "The Government officially abandoned this 'predict-and-provide' approach to planning for housing in 2000 in favour of a better-informed approach using the principles of 'plan, monitor and manage'. A crude 'predict and provide' approach conflicts with the emphasis in the Government's recent planning reforms to work towards a vision for the future of communities and their environment."
Citizens, communities and government must insist that the housebuilding sector take full responsibility for its fair and proportionate share of carbon reduction as this is the best way to ensure that the transition to zero carbon is as fair as possible to all sections of society.


== North / South balance ==
=== Regional citizens assemblies ===


CPRE is understandably concerned about environmental consequences of future house building on the countryside, but there are also questions about the appropriate balance between the north and south of England, for example in response to possible future [[Drought in South East England]] and other strategic concerns (such as regeneration of particular areas and regions). There's the question of how much this balance is in effect simply a policy choice.
Regional citizens assemblies could then follow a similar process to determine fair and reasonable targets for housebuilding across their region, again informed by carbon reduction targets and environmental carrying capacity of bioregions. In subsequent iterations of the planning cycle, the experience, concerns and expertise of regional citizens assemblies would feed back into the next national citizens assembly.


== Circular projections? ==
== Affordable housing ==


CPRE argue that the supply of housing influences the demand for it:. "Constructing new private housing in an area actively encourages in-migration, which in turn can lead to further demand in the future. Thus if planning and housing policies encourage a major exodus from larger towns and cities, that will lead to ongoing demand for new homes in the more rural areas in future decades.
{{Video|YCqGf7T9ABo}}


Since 2000, Government policy on planning for housing has secured important and valuable successes, including an increase in the proportion of new housing on previously developed ('brownfield') urban sites to over 70% and less wasteful use of housing land, with the average density rising to 40 dwellings per hectare. At the same time housebuilding levels have been rising; in 2005 they reached the highest figure for 16 years.
'''"... but policy makers know that if they simply allow more housing to be built the ways its always been done it will result in more carbon emissions, deepening the city's contribution to the climate crisis."''' Kate Raworth


A return to a 'predict and provide' approach based on mechanical projections of past trends would undermine these achievements. This would lock us into a cycle of urban decline and countryside sprawl, with potentially grave social and environmental consequences."
''Some great questions about affordable housing from just after 7 mins into this video.''


== An alternative approach ==
== Community action projects ==


CPRE argue that "the key relationship is between the total number of households and the total housing stock. Using data from the 2001 census, Alan Holmans (an acknowledged expert in this field) has estimated a current surplus of housing over households in every English region with the possible exception of London. Estimates of the number of new homes needed should look at the total housing stock, vacancy rates and other indicators of the efficiency with which it is used, such as under-occupation."
=== Community land trust ===


CPRE believes that in responding to household growth public policy should become less dominated by trend-based projections and take greater account of the implications for future lifestyles, quality of life and the quality of the environment. This requires a new approach to housing supply which takes as its starting point the Government's Sustainable Development Strategy and the recognition that development must respect environmental limits. Based on an understanding of the environmental capacity of places to accommodate new development and persistent regional disparities, this approach could take greater advantage of opportunities for urban renewal to meet wider social, economic and environmental objectives.
''Main article'': [[Community land trust]]


== Resources ==
{{Wikipedia excerpt|Community land trust}}


=== Networks ===
=== Cohousing ===
*[[Data for Democracy]], '''''consider joining a network such as this to work on transparency of data and fair and reasonable estimates or projections of local housing need across the UK, particularly if concerned about Overdevelopment across the South, imbalance between North/South. If anyone interested... I'd love to hear from you [[User:Philralph|Philralph]] ([[User talk:Philralph|talk]]) 07:12, 5 January 2019 (PST)'''''


=== Other resources ===
{{Video
*[https://www.communityledhomes.org.uk/ Community Led Homes] - "...community-led homes" across the UK. Your systems in your hands", [https://www.thealternative.org.uk/dailyalternative/2019/2/16/get-your-hands-on-the-system The Alternative UK], Feb 13, 2019
| video = 246241053
| title = Senior Cohousing_A Different Way of Living SUBS
| authors = New Ground Co-Housing, Dec 7, 2017
}} [[Barnet community action]]
 
{{Excerpt|Cohousing}}
 
=== Housing cooperative ===
 
''Main article'': [[Housing cooperative]]
 
{{Wikipedia excerpt|Housing cooperative|paragraphs=2}}
 
=== Community-led housing in the UK ===
 
{{Video
| video = 5zMXA9Zi8iM
| title = Seasalt - a Community Led Homes success story
| authors = Community Led Homes, Dec 10, 2019
}}
 
* [https://www.communityledhomes.org.uk/ Community Led Homes] - "...community-led homes" across the UK. Your systems in your hands", [https://www.thealternative.org.uk/dailyalternative/2019/2/16/get-your-hands-on-the-system The Alternative UK], Feb 13, 2019
** How to do it, [https://www.communityledhomes.org.uk/how-do-it communityledhomes.org.uk], ''added 16:27, 18 May 2021 (UTC)''
* Taking action: co-production in housing and regeneration, [https://www.futureoflondon.org.uk/2019/04/11/co-production-housing-and-regeneration/ futureoflondon.org.uk], 11 April 2019 by Charli
 
{{Wikipedia excerpt|Community-led housing}}
 
== Campaigns ==
 
* ''see also'': [[Housing UK community action resources#Networks|Networks]]
* [https://saveyourgreenbelt.co.uk/ saveyourgreenbelt.co.uk], ''added 15:04, 25 September 2023 (UTC)'', [[Somerset community action|North Somerset]] and [[Bristol community action|Bristol]]
* Farms, Fields & Fresh Air, on [https://www.facebook.com/groups/4593023297492063/ facebook.com], ''added 18:23, 5 December 2021 (UTC)''
 
{{Video
| video = bcVbUEyQLBA
| title = Save Our Fields 2021 - Westgate On Sea and Garlinge Documentary
| authors = Save Our Fields, Jun 14, 2021
}}
 
* Save Kent's Green Spaces, on [https://www.facebook.com/savekentsgreenspaces facebook.com], Nonprofit organization, ''added 18:23, 5 December 2021 (UTC)''
* Scheme for thousands of new houses near Sittingbourne would have devastating impact on countryside (and it's not even in the Local Plan), [https://cprekent.org.uk/news/scheme-for-thousands-of-new-houses-near-sittingbourne-would-have-devastating-impact-on-countryside/ cprekent.org.uk], ''added 15:46, 24 September 2021 (UTC)''
* [https://broadwateractiongroup.co.uk/ Broadwater Action Group], based in East and West [[Malling community action|Malling]],<ref>Press release, [https://broadwateractiongroup.co.uk/f/broadwater-action-group-press-release broadwateractiongroup.co.uk]</ref> ''added 12:35, 27 August 2021 (UTC)''
* [http://savecapel.com/ Save Capel], Tunbridge Wells, [[Kent]]
* STOP THE GREEN BELT GRAB! [https://www.cpregravesham.org/ cpregravesham.org], ''added 18:17, 1 December 2020 (UTC)''
* Protect Medway, [https://medway.greenparty.org.uk/protect-medway-campaign.html medway.greenparty.org.uk], ''added 15:18, 19 October 2020 (UTC)''
* [https://www.sosca.org.uk/ Save Our South Coast Alliance] an alliance of individuals and groups involved in promoting the environment, community, and economy of Chichester's coastal plain. "...excessive centrally allocated housing quotas handed down from government threaten our ability and ambition to protect our communities, environment, wildlife and economy from the inevitable impact of climate change on our low lying coastal plain." ''added 17:46, 24 August 2020 (UTC)''
* Enough is enough - Maidstone's Housing & Infrastructure, petition against housebuilding levels in Maidstone via [https://cprekent.org.uk/people/theres-a-petition-against-housebuilding-levels-in-maidstone-and-you-can-sign-it/ cprekent.org.uk], ''added 17:18, 18 February 2020 (UTC)''
* [https://www.cpre.org.uk/ CPRE], the countryside charity - local and regional groups, [https://www.cpre.org.uk/about-us/who-we-are/local-and-regional-groups/ cpre.org.uk]
* What gets built and where, [https://www.cpre.org.uk/what-we-care-about/better-places-to-live/what-gets-built-and-where/ cpre.org.uk]


== See also ==
== See also ==
*[[Drought in South East England]]
*[[Rural sustainability UK]]
*[[Urban sustainability UK]]
*[[Resources_UK#Citizens_data_initiative|Citizens data initiative UK]]


== Interwiki links ==
* [[Land activism UK]]
Wikipedia: [[wikipedia:Drought in the United Kingdom|Drought in the United Kingdom]], [[wikipedia:2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods|2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods]]
* [[Housing UK news]]
* [[Housing and land UK community action resources]]
* [[Climate change solutions UK#Housing|Climate change solutions UK, Housing]]
* [[Climate change solutions UK#Land use|Climate change solutions UK, Land use]]
* [[Europe community action#Housing|Europe community action, Housing]]
* [[Community land trust]]
* [[Open spaces activism UK]]
* [[Saving water in South East England]]
* [[Rural sustainability UK]]
* [[Urban sustainability UK]]
* [[Urban sustainability UK#Neighbourhood Planning|Neighbourhood Planning]]
* [[Urban sustainability]], [[Urban sustainability news]]
* [[Housing]], [[Housing affordability]], [[Housing cooperative]], [[Housing for flood-prone areas]], [[Urbanization]],
* [[Resources UK#Citizens data initiative|Citizens data initiative UK]]
* [[Extinction Rebellion]]
* [[Citizens' assembly]]
* [[XR and future democracy]]
* [[Land use]]
 
{{LocaltopicUK}}
 
{{CASwiki UK menu}}
 
'''External links'''
 
Wikipedia: Drought in the United Kingdom {{W|Drought in the United Kingdom}}, 2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods {{W|2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods}}, Affordable housing {{W|Affordable housing}}, Affordability of housing in the United Kingdom {{W|Affordability of housing in the United Kingdom}}
 
'''References'''


== References ==
<references />
{{Attrib sca ref|Understanding the need for new housing across England}}
*[http://www.cpre.org.uk/news-releases/news-rel-2006/news-briefing-how-many-new-homes-do-we-need.htm CPRE News briefing], 10 March 2006
*Holmans A.E., Housing and Dwellings in England in 1991 and 2001: A post-2001 Census Analysis, 2004.
<references/>


{{Page data
| keywords = Housing UK, Community-led housing
}}


{{scaendmenu}}
[[Category:UK sustainable community action topics]]
[[Category:UK sustainable community action topics]]
[[category:England]]
[[Category:England]]
[[Category:Housing]]
[[Category:Housing]]

Latest revision as of 09:58, 27 March 2024

This article would be improved by an appropriate photo or image.
Font Awesome map marker.svg Angle down icon.svg Location data
Loading map...
Location England, United Kingdom
  • News Oxfordshire housing development ‘should be blocked due to failing sewage system’, theguardian.com (Feb 27, 2024)
  • News England has ‘twice as many empty homes as families stuck in B&Bs’, theguardian.com (Dec 24, 2023)
  • News Housing crisis poses threat to survival of rural communities, CPRE Report, cpre.org.uk (Nov 28, 2023) — CPRE urges government to redefine ‘affordable housing’ to directly link to average local incomes.

Read more

mqdefault.jpgYouTube_icon.svg
Woodspring Revealed
Authors: Skye Spring, Sep 7, 2022
  • England’s housing strategy carries a high carbon cost – unless politicians are willing to change plans, The Conversation (Nov 10, 2022) — "our research demonstrates that, based on current trends, England’s housing strategy could consume our entire carbon budget by 2050."

This article is the current main article for Housing and land UK community action. Separate pages cover Land activism UK, Housing UK news and Housing UK community action resources

Quotes[edit | edit source]

  • "...sprawling extractive land uses are a lethal threat to the living world. ...unless we count the hectares and decide together how best they should be used, we will lose the struggle to defend the habitable planet." , George Monbiot, Apr 21, 2023[1]

"In the UK, the built environment as a whole is responsible for 42% of national emissions. The manner in which we produce, operate and renew our built environment continues to curtail biodiversity, pollute ecosystems and encourage unsustainable lifestyles." Architects Climate Action Network

"an absolutely groundbreaking result for climate justice".
"This judgment has exciting wider implications for keeping climate change at the heart of all planning decisions.
"It's time for developers and public authorities to be held to account when it comes to the climate impact of their damaging developments." Will Rundle, head of legal at the campaign group, Friends of the Earth, Feb 27, 2020, in response to "Climate campaigners win Heathrow expansion case"[2]

"The problems of housing affect most of us. The solutions need to involve all of us, too." Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the Royal Society of Arts, 2015[3]

What communities can do[edit | edit source]

Climate first in housing and planning!

  • demand that government and politicians at all levels of government tell the truth about the carbon cost of new housing development.
  • demand a more democratic system of meeting housing need
  • demand a system which allows local communities to consider environmental carrying capacity and carbon costs of development, and enables them to influence the level of development to align with national and local carbon reduction targets
  • support and encourage local politicians and other commentators who speak up against the undemocratic nature of the existing planning system
  • form alliances to advocate for a more democratic and climate friendly planning system, for example of all areas concerned about overdevelopment, or regional alliances
  • find and work with developers who explicitly concern themselves with the needs and wishes of local communities as determined and expressed by those local communities themselves, and more sustainable forms of housing
  • advocate that 'objectively assessed housing need', a phrase designed to impart a false and inappropriate sense of 'authority', and to cover up what are essentially political choices, be replaced with 'democratically assessed housing need'.
  • demand better data, more transparency and better exposition of relevant data, such as the size and age composition of migration flows, and better measures of genuinely affordable and sustainable housing.

see also: Community action projects

The carbon costs of new housing developments[edit | edit source]

New housing development has carbon costs from both the construction and use of the development.

It is arguable that the present system of carbon accounting does not adequately show, and make transparent, particularly to local communities affected, these carbon costs.

Given that Local plans cover several future years, this is especially of concern in the 2020's decade when as a nation, and as local communities, we should be reducing carbon costs.

The carbon costs associated with use of new housing developments has typically in recent years continued to lock us into, for the 2020's decade, yet more car dependency, when its clear we should be and should have been, promoting more sustainable means of transport.

National and local carbon costs of new housing development[edit | edit source]

A recent (Sep 2020) article[4] by Julian Stringer of Action on Climate in Teignbridge, in response to "Changes to The Current Planning System",[5] as well as extensive investigation into the likely local effects includes a paragraph on how this might play out nationally: "Building 300,000 houses a year, rather than 160,000 means that 140,000 extra houses will be built. Using 60t per house, embedded emissions from these additional houses will be 8.4Mt, UK GHG emissions in 2019 were 351.5Mt, so this is unnecessary housebuilding could add 2.4% to UK emissions each year."

Across a range of local areas eg the whole of the South of England, for some areas the percentage addition attributable to embedded emissions will of course be higher than a national average, and further additional percentages will be attributable to transport and travel implications of the new developments.

In addition to the many negative consequences that some are aware of, eg CPRE Kent supports county MPs in attack on 'inherently unreasonable' new housing targets,[6] it seems unlikely that many people are fully aware of the extent to which proposed changes would also be locking us into higher and higher, year on year carbon costs throughout the next decade when of course we should instead be reducing carbon costs.

Embodied carbon[edit | edit source]

mqdefault.jpgYouTube_icon.svg
Regulate Embodied Carbon! ACAN
Authors: Architects Climate Action Network, Jan 31, 2021

Greenhouse gas emissions caused by the construction of new buildings and infrastructure, known as 'embodied carbon emissions', are a significant driver of climate change.

  • These emissions amount to just under 50MtCO2e per year in the UK, a shocking figure that is vastly in excess of 10% of our national emissions.[7]
  • Embodied carbon emissions account for up to 75% of a building's total emissions over its lifespan.[8]
  • More than half the countries in the world have a smaller carbon footprint than the UK construction industry alone.[9]

Despite this, embodied carbon emissions are unregulated in the UK. Current policy and regulation focuses solely on operational energy use, as distinct from embodied carbon, and there are currently no national planning policy or Building Regulation requirements to assess, report or reduce embodied carbon emissions.

This must change. So ACAN is calling for the urgent introduction of legislation to regulate embodied carbon emissions in the UK.[10] You can help by reading ACAN's report or its summary, and by signing their petition, via architectscan.org

Disempowered communities?[edit | edit source]

Under the present (eg as at Jan 2020) planning system local authorities and communities are effectively dictated to by central government over the housing provision they are required to make via Local Plans. Not only this but those that refuse to plan for the central government numbers are threatened with even higher numbers being imposed.

Concerning the level of housing provision local communities are expected to make, any climate concerns local communities may have are not in any way catered for in the Local plan system. Central governments position that climate concerns are irrelevant looks particularly perverse, especially in the light of its own climate change legislation.

Overdevelopment in the South East and the North-South divide[edit | edit source]

Octicons puzzle-piece.svg

Take a look at the Community planning alliance, grass roots map: google.com/maps, and zoom in a little to see how communities in the South East are disproportionately affected by overdevelopment threats.

Reducing pressure on the South East would give greater opportunity to the rest of the UK.[11]

see also: Towards a more democratic and climate friendly way of meeting housing need across England

Citizens assemblies focused on housing[edit | edit source]

In recent years citizen's assemblies have been proposed as a potential solution to dealing with divisive and highly-politicised issues such as same-sex marriage, abortion, and decarbonisation measures.

The citizens' assembly aims to reinstall trust in the political process by taking direct ownership of decision-making. To that end, citizens' assemblies intend to remedy the "divergence of interests" that arises between elected representatives and the electorate, as well as "a lack in deliberation in legislatures."

The global environmental movement Extinction Rebellion has called for citizen's assemblies on climate change to be used by governments to make decisions on climate and environmental justice. In the UK, Extinction Rebellion's 3rd demand is: 'government must create and be led by the decisions of a citizens' assembly on climate and ecological justice.' W

Citizens assemblies focused on housing would aim to tackle housing need and fair, equitable and sustainable housing provision consistent with both carbon reduction targets and environmental carrying capacity of regions.

An England citizens assembly[edit | edit source]

An England citizens assembly could, with appropriate expert advice, consider national and regional housing need, fair and proportionate carbon reduction targets for housebuilding, ways of meeting housing need more sustainably at less carbon cost, and the environmental carrying capacity of regions.

Citizens, communities and government must insist that the housebuilding sector take full responsibility for its fair and proportionate share of carbon reduction as this is the best way to ensure that the transition to zero carbon is as fair as possible to all sections of society.

Regional citizens assemblies[edit | edit source]

Regional citizens assemblies could then follow a similar process to determine fair and reasonable targets for housebuilding across their region, again informed by carbon reduction targets and environmental carrying capacity of bioregions. In subsequent iterations of the planning cycle, the experience, concerns and expertise of regional citizens assemblies would feed back into the next national citizens assembly.

Affordable housing[edit | edit source]

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"... but policy makers know that if they simply allow more housing to be built the ways its always been done it will result in more carbon emissions, deepening the city's contribution to the climate crisis." Kate Raworth

Some great questions about affordable housing from just after 7 mins into this video.

Community action projects[edit | edit source]

Community land trust[edit | edit source]

Main article: Community land trust

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A community land trust (CLT) is a nonprofit corporation that holds land on behalf of a place-based community, while serving as the long-term steward for affordable housing, community gardens, civic buildings, commercial spaces and other community assets on behalf of a community.

CLTs balance the needs of individuals who want security of tenure in occupying and using land and housing, with the needs of the surrounding community, striving to secure a variety of social purposes such as maintaining the affordability of local housing, preventing the displacement of vulnerable residents, and promoting economic and racial inclusion. Across the world, there is enormous diversity among CLTs in the ways that real property is owned, used, and operated and the ways that the CLT itself is guided and governed by people living on and around a CLT’s land.

Cohousing[edit | edit source]

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Senior Cohousing_A Different Way of Living SUBS
Authors: New Ground Co-Housing, Dec 7, 2017

Barnet community action

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Cohousing playground next to Common House
  • News A model for senior living? London’s commune for older women, positive.news (Jun 14, 2023)

Read more

Cohousing is a way of sharing resources and space, and allowing for greater community and collaboration, while still giving individuals their own private space - though less private space is needed than in conventional, isolated housing.

Housing cooperative[edit | edit source]

Main article: Housing cooperative

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A housing cooperative, or housing co-op, is a legal entity, usually a cooperative or a corporation, which owns real estate, consisting of one or more residential buildings; it is one type of housing tenure. Typically housing cooperatives are owned by shareholders but in some cases they can be owned by a non-profit organization. They are a distinctive form of home ownership that have many characteristics that differ from other residential arrangements such as single family home ownership, condominiums and renting.

The cooperative is membership based, with membership granted by way of a share purchase in the cooperative. Each shareholder in the legal entity is granted the right to occupy one housing unit. A primary advantage of the housing cooperative is the pooling of the members' resources so that their buying power is leveraged; thus lowering the cost per member in all the services and products associated with home ownership.

Community-led housing in the UK[edit | edit source]

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Seasalt - a Community Led Homes success story
Authors: Community Led Homes, Dec 10, 2019
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Community-led housing (baugruppen: Germany, projets d'habitat participatif: France, habitat groupé: Belgium. social production of habitat: Latin America) is a method of forming future residents into a 'building group' who contribute to the design and development of new housing to meet their longer term needs, rather than leaving all design decisions to a developer looking to maximise the immediate financial return.

Working together in advance of construction helps to create a sense of community as members collaborate to identify their own priorities when designing their homes and shared spaces.

Groups of this sort were developing housing in Berlin in the early 2000s as the city was rebuilt following German reunification and emerging from a long tradition of self-initiated, community-oriented living and the shared responsibility of building in Germany.

Campaigns[edit | edit source]

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Save Our Fields 2021 - Westgate On Sea and Garlinge Documentary
Authors: Save Our Fields, Jun 14, 2021
  • Save Kent's Green Spaces, on facebook.com, Nonprofit organization, added 18:23, 5 December 2021 (UTC)
  • Scheme for thousands of new houses near Sittingbourne would have devastating impact on countryside (and it's not even in the Local Plan), cprekent.org.uk, added 15:46, 24 September 2021 (UTC)
  • Broadwater Action Group, based in East and West Malling,[12] added 12:35, 27 August 2021 (UTC)
  • Save Capel, Tunbridge Wells, Kent
  • STOP THE GREEN BELT GRAB! cpregravesham.org, added 18:17, 1 December 2020 (UTC)
  • Protect Medway, medway.greenparty.org.uk, added 15:18, 19 October 2020 (UTC)
  • Save Our South Coast Alliance an alliance of individuals and groups involved in promoting the environment, community, and economy of Chichester's coastal plain. "...excessive centrally allocated housing quotas handed down from government threaten our ability and ambition to protect our communities, environment, wildlife and economy from the inevitable impact of climate change on our low lying coastal plain." added 17:46, 24 August 2020 (UTC)
  • Enough is enough - Maidstone's Housing & Infrastructure, petition against housebuilding levels in Maidstone via cprekent.org.uk, added 17:18, 18 February 2020 (UTC)
  • CPRE, the countryside charity - local and regional groups, cpre.org.uk
  • What gets built and where, cpre.org.uk

See also[edit | edit source]

local information can be found, or shared, via our many UK location pages

External links

Wikipedia: Drought in the United Kingdom W, 2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods W, Affordable housing W, Affordability of housing in the United Kingdom W

References

  1. Costa Rica restored its ravaged land to health. The rich UK has no excuse for such complete failure, George Monbiot theguardian.com
  2. BBC News
  3. The Guardian, August 16, 2015
  4. New Government Proposals impose 1532 houses a year on Teignbridge, Summary of our concerns actionclimateteignbridge.org, Sep 22...Devon
  5. gov.uk, Aug 2020
  6. @protectkent, Sep 13, 2020
  7. architectscan.org
  8. The Carbon Footprint of Construction, The case for regulating embodied carbon emissions. ACAN Briefing note, Feb 2021 [1]
  9. actionnetwork.org
  10. architectscan.org
  11. londongreenbeltcouncil.org.uk
  12. Press release, broadwateractiongroup.co.uk
FA info icon.svg Angle down icon.svg Page data
Keywords housing uk, community-led housing
Authors Phil Green
License CC-BY-SA-3.0
Language English (en)
Related 0 subpages, 60 pages link here
Aliases Understanding the need for new housing across England
Impact 852 page views
Created May 1, 2015 by Phil Green
Modified March 27, 2024 by Phil Green
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