A think tank recommends creating a "suburban task force" to prevent suburban decline

Smith Institute found that outer London boroughs are declining more rapidly than inner London boroughs, with more people in poverty in the suburbs. More affordable housing is now located in the suburbs but fewer jobs are created locally for those living in these homes. Its report recommends a number of ways in which to help improve outer city areas.

The think tank's recommendations are aimed at promoting suburban living and include creating better transport links, increasing the housing density and introducing policies to encourage growth.  

Transport links are an important factor as they connect residents to jobs, the report said.

"There is a need for better and more affordable public transport, as new jobs are increasingly located in central areas, and to better connect suburbs with each other," the report said. The promotion of walking and cycling, reducing congestion and an integrated transport system would make the suburbs more attractive, it said.

The think tank recommended an increased density of housing in outer city areas to "support more sustainable suburbs and help meet the challenges of household growth that all cities face". It also suggested that cities should adopt a similar approach to the Greater London Authority by setting minimum density targets and "introducing suburban intensification zones".  It said that the government should "consider granting greater powers for cities to use compulsory purchase powers to enable densification and increasing housing supply".

The think tank also advised the government to create a suburban "task force" to review how suburbs can grow and what support is required from both central and local government. It proposed that a government minister should be responsible for suburbs and for "establishing an agency to provide information and best practice guides for suburban renaissance" to ensure they are not forgotten.

Planning expert Victoria Lindsay of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com, said: "It is 17 years since the Urban Task Force headed by Lord Rogers reported its findings in 'Towards an Urban Renaissance'. This was an influential report that paved the way for urban regeneration and revival of inner cities."

"Now the suburbs want their renaissance, to capitalise on the urban revitalisation and create a robust future for the suburbs before it is too late," said Lindsay. "The report focusses on Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and Greater London as examples of stagnating levels of job growth and a significant shift outwards from the centres of cities as indicators of poverty."

"There will need to be a tailored approach with a fine balance to be achieved between a centralised and localised approach. Establishing a suburban task force won't deliver it all but could be a step in the right direction. It is notable that the NPPF covers urban and rural areas but not suburbia,"Lindsay said.