CPRE: Urban flight 'polarises' London

A new report from the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) finds an exodus of young families from cities is putting immense pressure on countryside communities.

The report - Compact Communities: Crucial to the Future of Urban Families – argues the flight of families with moderate incomes toward the countryside has a number of negative impacts.

Firstly the phenomenon polarises the capital – creating a city of the very rich and very poor inhabitants. This is exacerbated, making London generally poorer, with erstwhile urbanites typically becoming commuters but spending most of their money close to their new homes.

Furthermore, the trend puts enormous pressure on housing and infrastructure in "precious" countryside in south-east England.

In response to the perceived problem the CPRE argues urban communities must become more compact.

Moreover, new urban properties must be reasonably priced, with perhaps 'intermediate' (shared ownership) housing, finds the CPRE report.

However, the organisation, which campaigns for the future for the English countryside, does admit the public remains "sceptical attractive housing can be built at significantly higher concentrations" than the norm.

At present dwellings are built at an average of 30 dwellings per hectare. The CPRE would like to see this increased to 50 dwellings.

"Unfortunately, thanks mainly to problems with various infamous high-rise developments of the 1960s and 1970s, planners and, most importantly, the public remain to be convinced," said Steve Whitbread, director of CPRE London.
"The fact is that the problems of the past resulted mainly from mistakes in design, location and management.

"The density of these developments was no more than in the streets and squares they replaced."

However, the House Builders Federation (HBF) has dismissed the proposals.

"We should be designing housing schemes that are right for individual locations and are not driven by sweeping density targets that totally ignore local needs," said HBF spokesperson Steve Turner.

The CPRE argues the potential desirability of higher-density housing is clearly demonstrated by the enduring popularity of Georgian and Victorian squares: which were typically built at densities of 80 dwellings per hectare.

Chris O'Toole