AT LEAST three-quarters of the 4.4 million new homes that England will need in the next 20 years should be built in towns and cities, Government's advisers on development said yesterday.
They accused local authorities of underestimating the potential for housebuilding in towns.
John Gummer, the Environment Secretary, has said the country should aim for at least 60 per cent of the new homes to be built in towns but the UK Round Table on Sustainable Development said it should be 75 per cent.
The round table, which was set up by the Government in 1995 to encourage discussion on sustainable development, said towns were better equipped to take new houses because they had the necessary infrastructure.
Sir Richard Southwood, co-chairman of the round table, said town life would have to be made attractive to counter the flight to the country.
His report, presented the to the DoE, suggested measures to revitalise towns including a levy on greenfield sites, taxation of parking space, grants for urban regeneration, and the withdrawal of the council tax rebate on empty properties.
The report also suggested that developers seeking to build on such sites should have to show that all potential town centre options had been assessed.
But Tim Cordy of the Town and Country Planning Association said it was wrong to set a target that would limit the supply of green land and increase the cost of housing.
