England’s suburbs are being asked to accommodate large amounts of new development and are in desperate need of attention, MPs warn.
The findings of The Suburban Taskforce, which was established in 2020 with support from the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for London’s Planning and Built Environment, show that the suburbs are rich in heritage and culture but largely unrecognised for their diversity.
It also found that there were tensions, between local context and strategic priorities, when it came to development, and that communities were struggling to grapple with managing the implications of demographic, technological and climate change.
The Suburban Taskforce’s co-chair, Rupa Huq MP, said: ‘England’s suburbs have too long been overlooked by policy-makers. Scratch beneath our established stereotypes and you’ll find a diverse mix of places each with rich veins of culture, heritage and local pride.
‘The Taskforce has spent two years painting a picture of England’s suburbs as they are today and it’s clear they unquestionably now deserve to be the focus of our attention.’
The Taskforce made a series of recommendations including a call for consideration to be given to a new spectrum model for understanding the suburbs and used by those in research, practice and policy.
It also called for consideration to be given to the opportunities which exist for an evolution in the nature of local employment as a result of changes to working practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Taskforce, which warned that suburbs faced many potential ‘tipping points’, also cautioned against the use and extension of permitted development rights.
