PRESS RELEASE

 

EMBARGOED UNTIL 00:01AM FRIDAY 19TH JANUARY 2007

 

 

CALL TO RELEASE £10 BILLION WORTH OF GOVERNMENT LAND FOR MORE AFFORDABLE HOMES

 

A new study published today (‘Unlocking Public Land for Housing Supply’[1]) calls for more surplus public land to be used at lower cost for affordable housing and renewable energy projects. The report, published by the Town and Country Planning Association[2]  also urges Government to lift the veil of secrecy around some £10bn worth 3 of surplus public land. 

 

The TCPA calls for the data on 4,500ha of surplus public land to be made publicly available for the first time.  The report also recommends granting Ministers new powers to stop Whitehall selling off land to the highest bidder.

 

Gideon Amos, Chief Executive of the TCPA, and co-author of the report said,

 

“Derelict hospital buildings or abandoned army barracks and other surplus Government-owned sites are listed in almost every community in Britain, but details on the sites, who they are sold to and at what price remain restricted.  This information should be in the public domain to ensure that the land is sold in the public interest.

 

“Too often publicly owned sites have been confirmed as surplus to requirements but remain vacant until marketed for the highest price, preventing housing associations and local authorities obtaining the sites on behalf of local people. It is time for an end to land dealing between public bodies and Government departments behind closed doors”.

 

The report, published with support from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation4 calls for the Housing and Planning Minister to be given new powers over public land sales, including a cross Whitehall “search and acquire” role to prevent Government Departments sitting on land to maximise its value (for future sales). The TCPA believes a single cross Government minister needs to be given authority over land releases to ensure sites are available to meet key national objectives such as for affordable homes or to provide sites for recycling and renewable energy installations.

 

The report highlights the urgent need for quicker and more cost-efficient public land sales.  It calls for reform of the current system whereby surplus public land is often sold from one Whitehall department to another at top market prices.

 

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has identified lack of available land as one of the key barriers to the provision of low cost social housing. Its Director Julia Unwin said:

 

"A lack of land supply is one of the chief barriers we face in delivering more and better homes. It would be a considerable missed opportunity not to tackle the problems of supply and affordability through capitalising on this important public asset."

 

Examples of surplus public sector land often include surplus health authority and rail network land. The former Queen Elizabeth Children’s Hospital site on Hackney Road near the City of London for example was closed in 1998 and the buildings have remained empty ever since.

 

Only a general listing is currently available on the ‘Register of Surplus Public Sector Land’, which states “data is currently only available to central government departments” 5. Due to withheld data addresses are incomplete, contact details are not provided and no values are given. One recent internal Government transfer of 96 surplus NHS sites to English Partnerships (an agency of the Communities Department) was publicised with a cost of £320 Million to the Communities and Local Government department, since these funds need to be recouped through development this level of cost casts doubt on the scope to use the land for affordable housing or other public provision.6

- Ends -

Notes to Editors

  1. The new TCPA report “Unlocking Public Land for Housing Supply” is published today by the TCPA with support from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and is available free to download at www.tcpa.org.uk, a summary is available in Town & Planning Magazine, subscriptions can be taken out at https://vault2.secured-url.com/tcpa/main.asp?cat=Journal+Subscriptions

 

  1. The Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) is an independent campaigning charity calling for more integrated planning based on the principles of accessibility, sustainability, diversity, and community cohesion. The TCPA puts social justice and the environment at the heart of the debate about planning policy, housing and energy supply. We inspire government, industry and campaigners to take a fresh perspective on major issues including climate change and regeneration. Media contact Gideon Amos 0207930 8903 or Mobile 07881 908756.

 

3    Government figures for land values in England published by HM Treasury in the Barker Review of Housing Supply P.95 (December 2005) show residential land values for England of £2.4Million/hectare. If all 4,500 Ha of surplus public sector land could be put to use for residential purposes this totals a value of £10.8Billion, the TCPA recognises that not all sites would be suitably for residential development.

 

4.   The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is one of the largest social policy research and development charities in the UK. It supports a research and development programme that seeks to understand the causes of social difficulties and explore ways of overcoming them.

 

  1. The register of Surplus Public Sector Land makes clear that full data is restricted to central Government Departments. It provides a listing of surplus public land in over 220 places in Britain. It is published at http://www.englishpartnerships.co.uk/rspsl.htm

 

  1. Details of this hospital sites land transfer sale provided by Government are available at http://www.englishpartnerships.co.uk/hospitalsites.htm