Garden development the next big thing?
John Prescott has come under fire for plans to concrete over back gardens bigger than 30 metres to build more homes in Poole.
The plans to build over more back gardens was met with "shock and astonishment" by Poole's Conservative MP Robert Syms.
The Conservative Party said the Government has provided £2 million of taxpayers' money for an investigation by planners and academics into "urban densification" which has called for doubling the current density of developments in suburban neighbourhoods such as Poole.
The investigation said there was "considerable potential" for back garden to be developed and recommended that back gardens of more than 30 metres should be sold off for building.
It stated that green belt land should be built over and local opposition ignored, according to the Conservative Party.
Robert Syms, Local Government Shadow Minister, has warned the latest initiative could leave the Borough of Poole powerless to stop back gardens being ripped up and replaced with blocks of flats.
"Councils are already increasingly powerless to protect against growing sprawl and ugly densification," he said.
"Local Councillors in Poole should be able to stop blocks of flats being dumped on land if they are out of character with the area, however it is clear that John Prescott has back gardens in his sights and is bankrolling garden grabbing studies with taxpayers' cash."
Mr Syms is backing new legislation being promoted by Conservative MP, Greg Clark, seeking to stop back gardens being classed as brownfield land.
"It is estimated that nationwide two-thirds of all brownfield housing development is now taking place on gardens," he said.
Date: Tuesday 25th April, 2006
