Public Bodies Selling Land For Affordable Housing

EDM number 594 in 2002-03, proposed by Martin Linton on 28/01/2003.

That this House is aware of the obstacles in the way of building affordable housing of all types and tenures on land in areas of high land values; notes that in these areas the land purchase costs commonly amount to more than half the development costs; welcomes the consultation on a proposal to allow public bodies such as planning, police and fire authorities and national parks to dispose of redundant land at below market price so long as the arrangement contributes to economic, social or environmental well being; believes that these proposals could assist housing associations to acquire sites for development of affordable or key worker housing; further notes that the Government's regeneration agency English Partnerships manages a national portfolio of strategic brownfield sites; and believes that for better co-ordination of land assembly for the provision of affordable and key worker homes, English Partnerships should have first refusal on all disposals of public land.

This motion has been signed by a total of 71 MPs.