The new housing minister, Grant Schapps, is off to a flying start having already set in motion one of the Conservative and Lib Dem’s election pledges – to put a stop to so-called ‘garden grabbing’. The growing trend for new homes to suddenly appear where large private gardens once stood, is apparently rife in towns and cities from Bromsgrove to Leeds - but, there is a growing debate as to whether this can be considered a bad thing when the UK continues to face a growing housing shortage.
The term ‘garden-grabbing’ immediately conjures images of new build developers sneakily sourcing properties and land for sale, demolishing any existing buildings and leaving in its wake a new housing estate. The truth however, is that homeowners have chosen to sell to developers parts of their gardens they would otherwise not use - in many cases in coalition with their neighbours.
This process became particularly popular in the last few years, with homeowners eager to earn extra money and developers desperate to find land on which to build. It could also be argued that the selling of gardens to support the UK’s housing needs has eased developer pressure to build on greenbelt or greenfield land; which in themselves are a little clouded in their definitions.
Greenbelt, established over 50 years ago to prevent urban sprawl, isn’t always ‘green’. It includes scrubland and some ex-industrial sites while greenfield includes national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty as well as previously developed land. It could well add to the supply of available land without ruining the landscape.
At a time when developers are calling for more land to be freed up for new developments, the decision by Shapps to reclassify residential gardens so that it sits within the bracket of greenfield land – making it easier for councils to block attempts to build on it - is a worrying move. It’s quite simple, we need more homes and we need more land on which to build them – not less.
The need for more new homes is compounded by a recent poll by developer Barratt Homes. They found that nearly three-quarters (71%) of respondents said they rated home ownership over getting married and having children, pointing to the continued importance of owning a home in the UK psyche. In support of this, last week Shapps made a commitment to increasing home ownership which, despite sustained levels of demand, has witnessed a decline in the last few years. The number of home owners would increase, he said, by cutting red tape, encouraging shared ownership, getting the banks to ease lending restrictions and, importantly, building more new homes.
In the last few years, the banks have remained for many buyers the biggest hurdle to achieving home ownership. I eagerly await the answer of Shapps’ question to lenders about why they continue to not lend to those perfectly able to pay back loans, in particular, for new-build properties.
The Homes and Communities Agency has already suspended all spending decisions until after the Emergency Budget on 22 June. As Shapps settles into office, bringing some much-needed stability to the role, the Lib-Con coalition’s approach to housebuilding is starting to become clear. But how this will affect our homes and those that are needed in our communities remains uncertain.
See Also: Big Smart Blog (11), New Homes Market (28), Press Releases (371), Property News (6711)
Date Published: 24 June 2010
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