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One in three new homes is being built on a former garden in some parts of the country, figures show. Worst affected is the South East, where housing demand and lack of space are leading builders to concrete over the sites of old homes. The scale of "garden-grabbing" is certain to intensify calls for ministers to close the loophole that means gardens are judged as brownfield sites, the same classification as former industrial plots. Critics say that in many parts of the country family homes are being demolished and mature gardens replaced by flats. The scale of the problem has been confirmed by Government figures obtained by Greg Clark, the Conservative MP whose Private Member's Bill to close the brownfield loophole will return to the Commons next week. A total of 159,454 homes were completed in England in 2005, the Department for Communities and Local Government said yesterday. Of these, 117,996 were built on previously developed land, including 28,700 homes, or 18 per cent, which were constructed on gardens or former residential sites. This compares with a figure of 15 per cent in 2004 and just 11 per cent when Labour came to power a decade ago. In the South East the proportion of new homes being built on gardens or residential land has almost doubled from 16 per cent to 30 per cent in the past decade. There is a similar picture in the South West, where the figure has risen 25 per cent over the same period. In the east of England, 20 per cent of new homes are built on gardens, up from 13 per cent a decade ago, and in London it has risen from 13 per cent to 16 per cent. The problem is least severe in the North East, where the figure is nine per cent, up from six per cent a decade ago. Mr Clark said: "These new figures show that the green and leafy character of much of Britain is being destroyed at an ever faster rate. "These developments are doing nothing to provide the housing that we desperately need in our area - affordable housing and homes for young families. Garden-grabbing developments typically replace family homes with high-priced apartments." He called on Yvette Cooper, the housing minister, to change the existing classification of gardens as brownfield sites. The Department for Communities and Local Government insisted last night that only a small number of gardens were being built on. In many cases, it said houses were being converted into flats or new buildings were constructed on the same site. A spokesman added: "Local authorities have always had the power to turn down applications for inappropriate housing development in back gardens and new planning rules that came into force in April have strengthened those powers further." |