Back Garden Accommodation - Labour’s New Plan

[Abracadabra12345]

From the Telegraph today:

”Labour’s planning shake-up could trigger a wave of new “granny flats” being built in back gardens across the country, a think tank has said.
Under the Government’s efforts to boost housebuilding, homeowners will find it much easier to build small properties on their land as long as they are no bigger than twice the footprint of the original house.
This is intended to encourage people to make more effective use of the homes or land that they already own.
So-called granny flats – also known as accessory dwelling units and “in-law suites” in the US – are among the types of annexes falling in this category.
These are self-contained homes on the same plot of land as a main house that can be used to house family members or generate rental income”

The last bit is the most worrying: “Or to generate rental income”.

Pity that we don’t have California-sized gardens so such buildings don’t impact neighbours trying to get some kind of peace in their UK-sized gardens…

Or AIBU to read this with dread? Selfishly, I am influenced by the fact that my garden is long and narrow and I’d lose the relative peace of my garden office.

Opinions welcome

The word 'could' is doing some heavy lifting here. A typical Telegraph story- heavy on supposition, light on actual proof.

Agreed. The Telegraph is basically a party political broadcast on behalf of the Tory Party. More fool anyone who pays to read it.

I hope you’re right. The article adds

” Other major proposed policies include default approval for new homes within walking distance of train, tube and tram stations, including on green land.
Labour has said rewriting the planning rule book will help it 1.5 million homes by the end of this parliament.”

I live in a small town where new build flats have been squeezed into the land running adjacent to the overground Tube line and every scrap of land including car parks

Again, look at the word 'proposed'. It's not set in stone nor actually gone through.

So you own a house, with a garden and a home office and you object to others actually having a home? People who are homeless or precariously housed currently?

I think its a good idea.

Not sure how your peace will be disturbed.

I think this is a good idea on loads of levels and not at all uncommon in other European countries.
The obsession with separate living and huge spaces far bigger than we need is not healthy and I reckon a big contributing factor to lots of the UK’s problems.

Obviously it needs to be regulated to prevent loads of HMOs springing up but I think this is quite a good solution.