Infrastructure for new homes in Southeast will cost billions

22 Mar 07
Plans to build thousands of homes in Southeast England will land the government and local authorities with an extra bill running into billions of pounds, the Environment Agency warned this week.

23 March 2007

Plans to build thousands of homes in Southeast England will land the government and local authorities with an extra bill running into billions of pounds, the Environment Agency warned this week.

An average of £20,200 per home will be required, says a study by the agency, published on March 19. This includes £13,000 to ensure water quality, £5,400 for flood risk management, £1,700 for water supply and £100 for waste.

The cost of additional sewage treatment in the region alone will come to about £7.5bn. Barbara Young, the agency's chief executive, said the cost might be brought down by better planning that reflects environmental needs. New infrastructure for sewerage and waste water should be planned over a 25-year period instead of the usual five, she proposed.

The agency also suggested developers could be offered incentives to build water-efficient housing, and water metering should be introduced more rapidly.

'There has been a historic legacy of under-investment and poor maintenance in water and sewer capacity,' said Young. 'New growth can be achieved without harming the environment but, with all these pressures, early investment and careful planning is critical.'

Following the Barker housing review in 2005, ministers pledged to increase the number of new homes in England by about 40,000 per year to 200,000.

The regional plan for Southeast England recommends that about 29,000 homes are built each year until 2016.

Figures published by the Department for Communities and Local Government on March 16 show an extra 223,000 households a year will need homes in England until 2029.

Housing minister Yvette Cooper said: 'If we don't build more homes, we will see house prices rising even higher, with young people struggling to afford a home of their own.'

PFmar2007

Did you enjoy this article?

AddToAny

Top