The History of the Housing Growth for
Luton/Dunstable/Houghton Regis and Leighton Linslade
Background:The planning system works in tiers:
National Government. (Dept. for Communities & Local Govt.)
Regional. Government Office for the East of England (East of England Plan)Sub Regional. Milton Keynes & South Midlands Sub Regional Strategy (MKSMSRS)Local. Luton Boro & South Beds District Council (Joint Planning & TransportationCommittee (JPTC))
As policies and strategies are passed to a lower government level, the level of detail
& planning increases.
How we got to where we are today:
03/2001 The Regional Planning Guidance for the South East (RPG9) stated that a study should be undertaken of the potential for further growth around Milton Keynes. 2002 The study brief was then widened by Government to embrace an area it called the Milton Keynes & South Midlands Sub-region. The study was undertaken by Roger Tym & Partners and published in September 2002. It suggested that the Luton, Dunstable & Houghton Regis conurbation could take up to 43,000 new homes by 2031, of which 20,554 should be provided by 2021.
NB – Leighton Buzzard did not feature in the Tym proposals 02/2003 John Prescott publishes the Government’s national ‘Sustainable Communities Plan’. This endorses the Milton Keynes & South Midlands Sub-region as one of four ‘Growth Areas’ in the wider south-east of England designated to help meet the housing needs of the wider south-east of England over the next 30 years. The proposal for 20,554 houses around the Luton/Dunstable/Houghton Regis by 2021 is subsequently put out for consultation in July 2003 04/2003 Meanwhile, Kate Barker, an economist, is commissioned by the Treasury to review the issues underlying the lack of housing supply. 01/2004 Lord Rooker, the Minister for Regeneration and Regional Development met with representatives from Leighton Linslade Town Council at the Town Council offices. The Town Council formally requested that Leighton Linslade be included in the LDHR growth area. Council have said this was a necessary tactic to avoid housing being dumped on Leighton Linslade with no infrastructure funding. 03/2004 Final Barker Review of Housing Supply Report was published; calls for a massive increase in the rate of house building to help meet the need for additional social and affordable housing. 03-04/2004 Public examination of the MKSMSRS document Panel heard from:= Hives Planning representing Arnold White Estates Ltd., = Pegasus Planning representing Willis Dawson Holdings Ltd. = Leighton Linslade Town Council (LLTC) (Our area was discussed during 28th-29th April) 08/2004 Report of Public Examination of MKSMSRS was published in August 2004. The panel recommended that Leighton Linslade Town Council’s request for inclusion in the Luton/Dunstable/Houghton Regis growth area be accepted, and that the LDHR housing target by 2021 be accelerated to 24,300 10/2004 The Government agrees to inclusion of Leighton Linslade, and further accelerates the number of new homes by 2021 to 26,300, but with a reduction between 2021 and 2031 to 15,400, resulting in an overall target of 41,700 new houses for the wider LDHR area by 2031. 03/2005 The above figures are finally adopted, and the local authorities instructed to plan accordingly. 09/2006 Front page headlines in the Leighton Buzzard Observer state ‘Town could almost double in size’. Readers were informed that documents had been submitted to the Joint Planning and Transportation Committee (JPTC) for the Luton/Dunstable/Houghton Regis and Leighton Linslade Growth Area LDF by the Eastern Leighton Linslade Partnership. Documents showed plans for 6,000 dwellings on 850 acres of green belt land by developers Arnold White Estates Ltd and Willis Dawson Holdings Ltd. 11/2006 LOUD Inaugural meeting attended by shocked local residents outraged by this proposal. 12/2006 Meanwhile, the Draft East of England Regional Plan has been under preparation, and has been required to take into account the Barker Review. The Draft therefore proposes a further 1,600 houses for the South Beds. area by 2021 on top of the MKSM numbers, lifting 2021 figure to 27,900 and overall 2031 target to 43,300. However, Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly proposes to reduce this additional target to 1,000, making the 2021 figure 27,300 and the 2031 target 42,700. The East of England graph for Housing Growth shows that of the new figure of 27,300 units, 16.74% (4570 units) have already been constructed since 2001 in South Bedfordshire, and that 22,730 remain to be constructed by 2021.
