Planning for Housing Demand in the UK
Planning for housing demand in the U.K.: Just a question of space? Jill Morgan and Mark Stallworthy Norwich Law School, UEA Introduction It has been observed that ‘discussions on housing policy generally either ignore …[the] law or regard it as a passive instrument for policy implementation.’1 Our paper concerns the serious shortage of housing accommodation in the United Kingdom, with particular focus on England and Wales. There are two ways in which lawyers can engage with such issues. The first, which at the moment is particularly prevalent in the United Kingdom, is from a human rights perspective. Thus, a number of challenges to substantive housing provisions on the basis of the European Convention on Human Rights have been made in the English courts - albeit to rather limited effect2 - since the Human Rights Act 1998 came into force in October 2000. The second, more traditional, approach - which this paper will take – is to consider the capacity of law and policy-making structures and processes to deliver appropriate (and just) outcomes. The housing shortage: causes and consequences Although there is, in crude terms, a surplus of housing, in England,3 much of it is situated in areas where there is no work, and many properties stand empty because they are either dilapidated or in serious disrepair. Others await incoming tenants or purchasers, or are second homes. However, despite this housing surplus, there is nevertheless a serious housing shortage which is particularly pronounced in London and the south east of England. Problems of weak supply have been exacerbated by the effective withdrawal of the municipalities from new housing provision, with social housing new build generally at a non- viable level.
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