Bright Blue TV: Are NIMBYs the problem?

Join Bright Blue on Friday afternoon for the next episode of Bright Blue TV on the theme: Are NIMBYs the problem?

The housing crisis is one of the gravest challenges the UK faces. For decades, the cost of buying a home has soared beyond wage growth, pricing many people, particularly younger people, out of the housing market. The Conservative manifesto pledged to build 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s, and the Government intends to bring forward changes to the planning regime to deliver on the target. While the Government hopes to push ahead with a new zoning system, dividing the country into growth, renewal, and protection areas, the Liberal Democrat victory in the Chesham and Amersham by-election has many of its prominent backbenchers wary of a furious backlash from voters. Opponents of the Government’s plans claim that it gives a blank cheque for urban sprawl, threatening existing communities. Proponents claim that such opposition is simply selfish NIMBYism, obstructing the basic solution to the housing crisis: more housing. So, how can the housing crisis be solved; is it as straightforward as more housing; and are NIMBYs the problem? This episode of Bright Blue TV is hosted by Senior Researcher of Bright Blue, Phoebe Arslanagić-Wakefield. In this episode, she will be joined by the Co-Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, Sian Berry AM, Senior Analyst at the Centre for Cities, Ant Breach, and Founding Director of Create Streets, Nicholas Boys Smith.