More action needed on land supply

Nine in ten Britons now believe that house prices are a real social as well as financial problem – and furthermore they think the situation is only getting worse, a new study shows.

The YouGov poll conducted on behalf of the New Homes Marketing Board (NHMB) found that 78 per cent of respondents saw the availability of homes to new buyers as either fairly or very important to community well-being, with 85 per cent believing the problem is getting worse.

The study also revealed that 54 per cent of the public believe that the government and the private sector should take equal responsibility for increasing the availability of housing to first time buyers.

Two thirds of respondents also believe that the government should release more brownfield land for development – an initiative that has formed a central part of the government's plans as outlined in the recent housing green paper.

"[The government's] initiatives, while welcome, really only deal with part of the problem. To crack it, we need decisive action on land supply and the planning system," commented NHMB chairman David Pretty.


© Adfero Ltd