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SOUTH WEST HOUSING INITIATIVE OPPOSES “NIMBY PAYMENTS”

Communities can gain from much-needed new homes

Suggestions that housing developers should be allowed to “reward” individual objectors with £10,000 cash incentives have been rejected by the South West Housing Initiative – the region‘s unique partnership of house-builders, housing associations, housing professions, and  employers.

The Policy Exchange think-tank proposed that decisions on new housing should be made by a ballot of residents, rather than the local council – and proposed payments to individual objectors of £10,000.

According to Richard Kitson, chairman of the South West Housing Initiative (SWHI):  “This is a counter-productive suggestion.

“This region has Britain‘s most serious housing crisis, with the biggest gap between average earnings and average house-prices, and the biggest gap between demand for new homes and the delivery of those new homes.

“The Policy Exchange proposal that individual objectors should be ‘bought-off‘ with cash payments from developers is fiercely opposed by the SWHI.

“Such an approach would only encourage spurious objections and undermine the planning system, when we should be getting the message across that providing sufficient homes is in everyone‘s interest”, said Mr Kitson.

“While individual concerns should of course be addressed as far as possible, our central objective must be to enable those local people providing crucial services to find a home in their own community so that they can continue to  provide these services that their fellow residents depend on – from cleaning windows to manning the fire station” Mr Kitson explained.

“If they fail to find a home, they will move elsewhere”, he warned.

“The new government‘s approach to local planning is all about involving the community in determining the vision for their area, but this dialogue must focus on the overall community benefit for the area. Otherwise there is a very real danger that South West residents, cosy in the enjoyment of their home and local area, will find themselves isolated without any of the support services they need.

“If the providers of those crucial services cannot find or afford a home in the South West, we shall lose them”, warned Mr Kitson.

ENDS             6th September 2010

For further information please contact:  Richard Kitson 07889-755639 or David Sturgess 01275 390 552 david@sturgessvandamme.co.uk