Permitted development a risk to health and well-being

Councils are warning that homes created using permitted development rights are a potential threat to people’s health and well-being, with the most vulnerable people in society being more at risk.

A new report ‘Housing for a fairer society: The role of councils in ensuring stronger communities’, published by the Association for Public Service Excellence, states that half of councils in England think permitted development housing could threaten people’s health and well-being, and that half also think vulnerable people are disproportionately negatively affected by permitted development.

In fact, local authorities across the UK are reporting ‘severe’ shortages of affordable housing for the fourth consecutive year, with only two per cent claiming their need is ‘not substantial’. Three quarters of councils in England and Wales rely on developer contributions as their main source of income for delivering affordable housing, further calling into question the efficacy of the government’s market-led approach to housing delivery.

Conversely, demand for affordable housing has remained unchanged for four consecutive years, with 59 per cent of UK councils report ‘severe’ shortages.

Paul O’Brien, chief executive of APSE, said: “It is ironic that as we celebrate a 100 years since the advent of council housing, and the ‘Addison Act’ standards on space and public amenities that were so innovative and important to the health and well-being of communities we are now witnessing a serious regression of these protections. Permitted developments are in danger of becoming the new slum housing of the 21st century, de facto permitting a dangerous slide into deregulated and ultimately damaging housing provision.”    

Fiona Howie, chief executive of the Town and Country Planning Association, added: “Local authorities have a powerful role in shaping existing and new places that can enhance people’s health and wellbeing, but it is essential that they have the tools they need. This report highlights there is still much to be done to enable local authorities to deliver the affordable houses people so desperately need.”

Among the report’s recommendations is the suspension of the right to buy in England, the reinstatement of a definition of affordable housing which links affordability to income and the adoption of ‘community benefit clauses’ in planning policy to ensure that local authorities consistently maximise the wider benefits of the construction and development process.