'Garden Grabbing' to be curbed

Government introduces measures to prevent building of homes in back gardens

Decentralisation minister Greg Clark is giving local councils immediate powers to prevent the building of new homes in back gardens, which has been on the rise in recent years.

According to the Communities and Local Government Department, the number of houses being built on gardens rose from one in 10 to a quarter of new properties between 1997 and 2008. The problem is particularly acute in places including the South East. Town halls have struggled to stop the trend as gardens have been classified as ''previously residential land'', making them brownfield sites in the same category as derelict factories and old railway sidings.

Mr Clark said he would be changing the designation of gardens from brownfield land to make it easier for local authorities to stop unwanted development, allowing them to reject planning applications for new houses and blocks of flats that local people oppose and which would ruin the character of the area.

The step, which he said would not affect people who wanted to build extensions on their homes, was welcomed by garden and wildlife organisations.

The move to stop garden grabbing, promised in both the Conservative and Liberal Democrat manifestos ahead of the general election, is the latest by the Government to implement coalition pledges to hand more power to local communities.

Unveiling the plans today, Mr Clark will say: ''For years the wishes of local people have been ignored as the character of neighbourhoods and gardens have been destroyed, robbing communities of vital green space. It is ridiculous that gardens have until now been classified in the same group as derelict factories and disused railway sidings, forcing councils and communities to sit by and watch their neighbourhoods get swallowed up in a concrete jungle."

''Today I am changing the classification of garden land so councils and communities no longer have their decisions constantly overruled, but have the power to work with industry to shape future development that is appropriate for their area.

Former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, who brought in the original brownfield designation for gardens, defended his policy and launched a robust attack on the Tory-Liberal Democrat coalition move. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "You have got to look at how many homes we need and where they will be built. We are desperately short of land.

Tory MP and environment campaigner Zac Goldsmith told the programme: "If you lump gardens and wasteland in the same category, developers will always go for gardens because it's easier and cheaper. We are not saying there shouldn't be development, there are other alternatives. There are a lot of empty homes. We want to protect gardens so that instead of being top of the list for developers, they are at the bottom."