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The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee has urged the Government to rethink its target to build three million new homes by 2020 in light of the economic downturn. The MPs have said that in light of the latest economic projections, fundamental changes in the mortgage market, and falling house prices, the Government should urgently review the assumptions on which its 3 million new homes target is based.
The Committee’s new Report, Greener homes for the future?An environmental analysis of the Government’s housebuilding Plans, said the Government should ensure that, in the current market downturn, an excess of land was not made available to developers, something which the Committee said is already leading to greenfield sites being developed in preference to brownfield sites. As a key to this, the Government should urgently reintroduce a clear sequential test in favour of brownfield development into planning policy. The Report also said that the Government should clarify whether its target for 60% of new housing to be built on brownfield land will be applied to the 3 million new homes to be built by 2020.
With regard to eco-towns, the MPs have urged the Government to clarify what influence eco-towns will have on the design of other new and existing developments, with the same environmental tests used for eco-towns being applied to all major housing developments from 2016.
The Committee has also suggested that the Government should change the balance of its current target for 2 million new homes to be built before the zero carbon target comes into effect in 2016, and for a further 1 million to be built afterwards so that the proportion built after the zero carbon target comes into effect is increased significantly. The Report is also calling for the Government to ensure that sustainable infrastructure is in place for all new developments – the MPs said that
“ The funding for this infrastructure from private developers may be very stretched in the current economic crisis.”
Commenting on the Report, The Environmental Audit Committee's chairman Tim Yeo said: "Government targets for house-building are intended to make homes more affordable by increasing supply.
"But these ambitious targets were agreed in a time of economic optimism and easy credit.
"Clearly the assumptions on which the 3 million target was based must be reviewed in the current climate.
"This is an opportunity for the Government to place environmental concerns at the heart both of targets and planning regulations for new housing."
He went on to say: "The Government needs to ensure that in the current market downturn, an excess of land is not made available to developers, which could lead to greenfield land being developed in preference to brownfield.
"Once greenfield land is released for development, this land will be lost forever."
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