Planning and Development – Development Issues

Back-land development

This is development which is done in the back gardens of existing houses.  This type of development has a number of problems associated with it.

• The plots are often irregular and the development has to be made to fit.
• Building in gardens plots means that the character of the area is changed.  Typically the area will be characterised detached or semi-detached houses on large plots and the new housing will be high-density flats.
• This type of development splits communities.
• There is rarely any architectural consistency between old and new.

Possibly the worst feature of back-land development is the fact that it is very hard to prevent.  By definition the area is already one with housing and at a low density, therefore the principle of more housing is difficult to oppose.  The New Labour Government has refused to do anything to prevent this type of over-development.

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