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'Rabbit Hutches on Postage Stamps': Planning, Development and Political Economy

Alan W. Evans is Professor of Environmental Economics at the Department of Economics, University of Reading, PO Box 219, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 2BU, UK

The supply of land for housing has been restricted by planning controls. The prices of land and of houses have risen in consequence. As a result land has been used with increasing intensity with infill, 'town cramming' and smaller houses on less land—'rabbit hutches on postage stamps'; a destruction of the urban environment of the many to preserve a rural environment for a few. Why is the supply of land restricted? Firstly, it is suggested, because the British misapprehend the degree of urbanisation in their own country. Secondly, because rural and farming interests ensure that the planning system operates in their favour. And thirdly, and most importantly, because the planning process is tilted in favour of the existing residents of an area who seek to preserve their environment by resisting intruders. A number of suggestions are made to resolve the situation by increasing the supply of land or reducing the demand for land.

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