Land shortage 'causing misery'

A continued shortage of land that can be built on around the UK has caused "misery" for Britons who consequently find themselves faced with rising house prices, one senior economist has advised.

Successive governments' failures to deal with the issue has made the situation even worse, Capital Economics managing director Roger Bootle has claimed, with both the cost of living and the economy affected as a result.

Mr Bootle described the UK housing market as an "unbridled failure" in his speech at an industry conference in Newport, Wales.

"The central issue [for the government] is quite clear - it is getting to grips with the availability of land for building and ensuring that the rate of building moves up quite sharply after that," Mr Bootle told attendees.

The government is currently aiming to build 60 per cent of its planned three million new homes on brownfield land, though some have suggested that this target should be raised to 75 per cent in some areas.


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