The news this morning that Princess Ann has been articulating the need for rural development as an alternative to the creation of a new garden city risks presenting us with the idea that there is a false choice for planning officials. A decade ago I was a member of the South East England Regional Assembly and we were just beginning to develop the South East Plan, one of 9 Regional Spatial Strategies in England. Despite many of the lies that the coalition government has told about these plans (building on those told by some Conservative politicians during the creation of these strategies) there was very little evidence of the then Labour Government imposing top down targets. In practice they were keen to ensure that house building was increased just as all Governments are, and as part of this they had some data which they shared with regional assemblies indicated the growing need. However they did not set targets as such. The need for housing was based on a number of factors and estimates. These included the impact of immigration, the extent to which new households were being created, and finally the ways in which people were following the advice of an earlier Norman Tebbit speech and moving home in search of work (or perhaps looking for better paid work). The expanding numbers of households was as much as a result of family breakdown as it was population growth and our children growing up and searching for a home of their own. These statistics were then viewed through the lens of local planning officers and the extent to which different parts of the region could either welcome further growth or at least accommodate it. This methodology led to these plans which continue to influence locally planning, despite this Government abolishing the regional plans when they came into office.

Inevitably there were several issues that skewed the proposals towards either increasing existing urban centres, or else creating new towns. Some of this was based on the idea that such spaces were already built upon and so we the residents would be more tolerant of further building. There was also the idea that most economic development depends on ensuring that businesses have access to a labour market within easy reach of the place of work. There were also much greater challenges nationally and locally on fighting planning battles in small pockets when larger set piece cases took similar amounts of energy. Sadly the voices of those of us who argued for smaller pockets of sustainable growth in individual villages and hamlets should also be a significant feature were lost to the protectionist fears of politicians who were concerned that they would lose their seats at future elections if they went home having committed to development in their District or Borough.

In pure numbers terms we need to see housing growth in our villages, towns and cities, not choose between those. The levels of development will differ and there are some safeguards that will need to be put in place. One of these is providing protection for villages that the homes will be offered first and on an ongoing basis to local people. The speed with which young men and women head for the nearest town or city from some of our villages in order to find an affordable home creates terrible problems for the sustainability of family businesses, or creating new jobs. We also need to be honest with residents in some of our smaller villages, that even with a few more houses, they will never be big enough to sustain bus routes and GP practices. However there are some creative options with rural transport, and if the sustainability of groups of small villages are considered together there may be a way forward. Equally it is naïve to believe that incremental development in existing villages and towns will provide the numbers of homes we need to create housing that is of the right quality for all those currently inadequately housed in our nation. Some new towns will need to be built. However with around 11% of the country built upon, there are actually many places where sustainable development could take place, ensuring the new towns are good for the residents and not bad for the wider environment. However this will require lots more voices like Princess Ann to be heard in a much needed debate.