http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/...172133.pdf

We all know we are not building enough homes in this country but the majority of the 30% increase in numbers of households (not population, although this accounts for a large proportion). But where are these extra households to come from? The splitting of existing houses into multiple flats is one method, but even that is unlikely to achieve 30% growth, not when quite a lot of people already live in flats. I would suggest that a large proportion of this growth needs to be spread out beyond the high-density city we already live in. New towns need to be built and old ones expanded particularly in rural areas with high-speed connections to central London (Ebbsfleet and Penge take the same time to central London).

As jgdoherty says, one answer will not solve all the problems, we need to use all the solutions we have available. And lacb is correct that this is a national problem and one cannot expect local amenity societies to individually tackle such an issue.

What is required is for amenity societies to focus on what is best for the current and future inhabitants of an area and to treat every planning application on its own merits. Where there are opportunities for large new residential developments amenity societies should help identify these, but all the large sites that come to mind are outside of SE23.

But even if an amenity society wasn't willing to see developments in their area, it wouldn't make much difference. We have planning policy set by elected councillors from across the borough and, as has been pointed out to Tim by a councillor, they are quite capable of overruling civic societies - at least when those groups are being purely NIMBYist without valid justification.

But amenity societies continue to do a good job in providing valid objections to frightening planning application, like Miriam Lodge. I think that Tim is being more than a little unfair in attacking amenity societies for their role in planning policy. The point is that they try to represent local feelings, and what is right in Telegraph Hill is different to Forest Hill or Bellingham; their concerns are different and require different solutions.