Tories 'will tackle housing crisis'

The Conservative party will tackle the housing crisis by reforming the planning system and even considering alterations to land regulations, it has been suggested.

Shadow housing minister Michael Gove has said that current government plans to build 200,000 homes lack ambition, adding that private sector development and local authorities would also have roles to play.

Speaking at a Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) conference, Mr Gove said that the Conservative government would favour a more localised approach.

Community land trusts would be supported and the possibility of reassigning commercial use land for residential purposes would be investigated, Mr Gove added.

"I am pleased to see we've achieved a cross-party commitment to building more new homes and securing affordability. CIH will continue to work to develop practical and effective ways to do this and to maintain political focus on existing stock, so that housing professionals can continue to create sustainable communities that meet a range of needs and aspirations," commented CIH deputy chief executive Sarah Webb.

At least 223,000 homes will need to be built in the coming years in order to meet demand, it was recently suggested.


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