Date: Sun, 22 May 2005 23:31:06 +0100
From: Gavin Ayling 
Newsgroups: uk.politics.misc uk.finance
Subject: Re: First Time Buyers go on strike over extortionate house prices

Jim Ley wrote:
> On Sun, 22 May 2005 23:15:06 +0100, Gavin Ayling 
> wrote:
> 
> 
>>Jim Ley wrote:
>>
>>>Maybe because it's done at a local level by elected representatives...
>>>That means that the only people who can influence decisions in an area
>>>are people who already live there.  At an extreme example consider the
>>>country divided into 2, the left half with a population density of
>>>1000 per sq. mile, and the right half with 0.0001 per sq. mile, the
>>>right half would vote for no new houses to built in their half as it
>>>would effect their lifes, the left half would love to build some more
>>>houses so they can have some more space to live in, yet...
>>
>>Surely the people who live there *should* have the say? It is their
>>property that would be affected for goodness sake!
> 
> 
> but at what scale?  
> 
> It's my house, I can do what I want with it? - no, that effects your
> neighbours, they are also affected by what you do.
> 
> It's our road, we can do what we want with it? - no, that effects the
> surrounding roads too..
> 
> etc. etc.   Why is the correct scale the local council?

Each aspect of planning should be done at the appropriate level. For
example, whether shadow from a proposed extension will affect a
neighbour requires input from the two houses involved; for changes
to a road layout that affects other roads, a council can take that
into account; for changes that affect the whole town, a council
can take that into account.

To suggest that housing issues are the government's responsibility
presupposes that employers will not move as a result of employment
issues from too few staff.

That most people want to live in the south east does not mean that
they should be able to. The pressures on house prices are economic
and the market will work them out. I would personally like house
prices lower, but I don't want planning protection to be overruled
in order for that to be realised.
-- 
Gavin Ayling

My site:
	www.gavpolitics.co.uk

Interesting links:
   http://www.thecep.org.uk
  What we must all do:
   http://12121.hostinguk.com/Save%20the%20Pound.jpg
  The future of Britain:
   www.conservatives.com