As you might expect from any conclusions drawn from statistics (lies, damn lies and …), there are quite a number of caveats that should have been added to Brandon Lewis’ statement:
1. Only 1,000 people were interviewed in 2013 across the whole of the UK. These were apparently spread amongst people living in different types of area city centre, small city/town centre, suburbs, country villages), but we don’t really know the spread of these.
2. As far as I can tell, the questions asked about attitudes to new homes were fairly black/white i.e. do you want to see new homes or not. They didn’t ask any questions about the level of growth people supported (e.g. 10% growth in a town with good infrastructure vs. 42% growth in a small isolated village down minor country lanes like Feniton).
3. The greatest reason for people wanting new homes being built was “employment opportunities”. It is not clear whether they meant that existing employment opportunities should lead to new houses being built in the area to house the new employees or whether they expected new employment opportunities to arise (by magic?) as a consequence of there being more houses in the area (as opposed to increased levels of unemployment because increased population and no increase in jobs – presumably followed by building society repossessions as these people find they cannot afford the mortgages on the new homes the bought in the expectation of a local job offer).
4. The second reason for people wanting new homes to be built was “medical facilities”. Frankly, I just don’t get this!! Why would new homes being built result in improved medical facilities? Our experience (see Newton Poppleford!!) is the opposite – we built more and more houses without increasing e.g. the GP capacity, so people can live there but are unable to register with a doctor or an NHS dentist.
5. In fact, NONE of the top 5 reasons for wanting new homes seem to apply in East Devon, and perhaps not in any rural context – they seem to me to apply more to towns and cities than the countryside. Employment opportunities (see Sainsbury’s Distribution Centre), medical facilities (see Newton Poppleford fiasco), low cost home ownership (see numerous reductions in affordable housing percentages on “viability” grounds), transport links (see Feniton and see bus timetables or lack thereof) and schools’ places are all in short supply in East Devon, and (with the possible exception of planned new towns – and I would be interested to know whether Cranbrook provides all of these) the recent history of approved applications for new housing in East Devon appears to have make these worse rather than better.
6. The remaining reasons all appear pretty doubtful to be achieved in rural locations either: Affordable homes to rent (I am not aware of much Council housing being built, nor of developers building properties to rent rather than sell), green spaces (all housing estates seem to be crammed in together these days), leisure facilities (maybe), better design of new homes (if “better” means “smaller and more cramped” then maybe), shops (with the exception of future Cranbrook phases, as far as I am aware there are no new shops in any housing developments in East Devon), Library (they have to be kidding!!!!! – see Devon County Council Library closures).
7. Brandon Lewis failed to point out that 63% wanted more control by local people over what is developed in their area – not the approval by default under the NPPF. And dare I mention the Public Speaking restrictions for DMC just passed by EDDC which give local people less say in the development in their area. Three cheers for EDDC – hurrah, hurrah, hurrah!!!!
8. He also failed to point out that only 22% of people felt that more homes would result in greater affordability, whilst 55% thought that homes would continue to be unaffordable. In other words, they want to be able to lust after the new homes since they can’t afford to buy one themselves.
Perhaps it is time for all of us to write to Brandon Lewis and tell him that to read the detail because we want substance rather than sound-bites, and to listen to people who have actually experienced the consequences of the Tory delegation of planning policy to developers.
East Devon Watch 
The survey that Brandon Lewis’ comments were based upon can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/336769/20140723_Public_attitudes_to_new_house_building_FINAL.pdf
As you might expect from any conclusions drawn from statistics (lies, damn lies and …), there are quite a number of caveats that should have been added to Brandon Lewis’ statement:
1. Only 1,000 people were interviewed in 2013 across the whole of the UK. These were apparently spread amongst people living in different types of area city centre, small city/town centre, suburbs, country villages), but we don’t really know the spread of these.
2. As far as I can tell, the questions asked about attitudes to new homes were fairly black/white i.e. do you want to see new homes or not. They didn’t ask any questions about the level of growth people supported (e.g. 10% growth in a town with good infrastructure vs. 42% growth in a small isolated village down minor country lanes like Feniton).
3. The greatest reason for people wanting new homes being built was “employment opportunities”. It is not clear whether they meant that existing employment opportunities should lead to new houses being built in the area to house the new employees or whether they expected new employment opportunities to arise (by magic?) as a consequence of there being more houses in the area (as opposed to increased levels of unemployment because increased population and no increase in jobs – presumably followed by building society repossessions as these people find they cannot afford the mortgages on the new homes the bought in the expectation of a local job offer).
4. The second reason for people wanting new homes to be built was “medical facilities”. Frankly, I just don’t get this!! Why would new homes being built result in improved medical facilities? Our experience (see Newton Poppleford!!) is the opposite – we built more and more houses without increasing e.g. the GP capacity, so people can live there but are unable to register with a doctor or an NHS dentist.
5. In fact, NONE of the top 5 reasons for wanting new homes seem to apply in East Devon, and perhaps not in any rural context – they seem to me to apply more to towns and cities than the countryside. Employment opportunities (see Sainsbury’s Distribution Centre), medical facilities (see Newton Poppleford fiasco), low cost home ownership (see numerous reductions in affordable housing percentages on “viability” grounds), transport links (see Feniton and see bus timetables or lack thereof) and schools’ places are all in short supply in East Devon, and (with the possible exception of planned new towns – and I would be interested to know whether Cranbrook provides all of these) the recent history of approved applications for new housing in East Devon appears to have make these worse rather than better.
6. The remaining reasons all appear pretty doubtful to be achieved in rural locations either: Affordable homes to rent (I am not aware of much Council housing being built, nor of developers building properties to rent rather than sell), green spaces (all housing estates seem to be crammed in together these days), leisure facilities (maybe), better design of new homes (if “better” means “smaller and more cramped” then maybe), shops (with the exception of future Cranbrook phases, as far as I am aware there are no new shops in any housing developments in East Devon), Library (they have to be kidding!!!!! – see Devon County Council Library closures).
7. Brandon Lewis failed to point out that 63% wanted more control by local people over what is developed in their area – not the approval by default under the NPPF. And dare I mention the Public Speaking restrictions for DMC just passed by EDDC which give local people less say in the development in their area. Three cheers for EDDC – hurrah, hurrah, hurrah!!!!
8. He also failed to point out that only 22% of people felt that more homes would result in greater affordability, whilst 55% thought that homes would continue to be unaffordable. In other words, they want to be able to lust after the new homes since they can’t afford to buy one themselves.
Perhaps it is time for all of us to write to Brandon Lewis and tell him that to read the detail because we want substance rather than sound-bites, and to listen to people who have actually experienced the consequences of the Tory delegation of planning policy to developers.
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