UK: The official yearbook of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland > 2003

20 Housing, planning and regeneration
Housing 292
Housing stock and housebuilding 293
Home ownership 295
Rented housing 297
Improving existing housing 299
Rural housing 300
Homelessness 300
Land use planning 302
The United Kingdom is a relatively densely
populated country, with 242 people per square
kilometre in 2001. The number of households is
projected to increase (in England, for example,
from 20.2 million in 1996 to 24.0 million in 2021).
These changes, together with an increase in the
population and the demands of a growing
economy, mean there are pressures on land use. In
2001 a buoyant housing market led to average UK
house prices being almost twice that of 1993.
Various measures were introduced which
attempted to help certain groups, such as nurses,
to buy homes in areas where accommodation was
particularly expensive. Throughout the UK a
number of programmes continue to work to
regenerate areas which have been in decline and in
need of investment.
Housing
Following a government reorganisation in 2002,
the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM)
has taken over responsibility for determining
housing policy in England and supervising the
housing programme. Responsibility for housing
policy in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
rests with the devolved administrations. They all
work with local authorities (which are responsible
for preparing local housing strategies) and with
the private and voluntary sectors. Social housing
(housing at below market rent) is provided by
local authorities, registered social landlords (RSLs)
— most of which are housing associations — and
the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE).
RSLs are registered by the Housing Corporation
(in England), the National Assembly for Wales
(NAW) and Communities Scotland, through
Development plans 304
Development control 305
Regeneration 306
England 306
Wales 308
Scotland 308
Northern Ireland 309
which bodies they also receive government
funding. In Northern Ireland, the Housing
Division of the Department for Social
Development funds the NIHE and the housing
association movement, and has regulatory powers
over both.
The Government issued a housing policy
statement in December 2000, The Way Forward for
Housing, which set out its strategy for ensuring
that everyone in England has the opportunity to
The decent home standard
In order to set and monitor progress against its
decent social housing target for England, the former
Department for Transport, Local Government and
the Regions (DTLR) established the decent home
standard. A decent home is one which:
■ meets the current statutory minimum for
housing, which at present is the 'fitness
standard';
■ is in a reasonable state of repair;
■ has reasonably modern facilities; and
■ provides a reasonable degree of thermal comfort
through effective insulation and efficient
heating.
It is estimated by ODPM that in England in April
2001, 1.7 million social rented homes (40 per cent
of the social housing stock) were below a decent
standard. Further information on the decent home
standard can be found on the ODPM website.
292