The Home Builders Federation (HBF) is calling on MPs to “wake up” to the mounting housing crisis in England and Wales, stressing that the shortage of homes is fast approaching one million and yet fewer homes are now being built than at any time since 1945.
In its election manifesto, to be launched tomorrow (March 10), HBF will outline the steps urgently needed to increase housing supply. These include:
- Making more land available for development
- Addressing the chronic lack of mortgage availability
- Reducing the crippling costs of central/local government regulation that prevent many sites being built
- Maintaining public funding to support housing delivery and the jobs it creates
“We have a desperate and growing crisis that just has to be addressed,” HBF’s chief executive Stewart Baseley explained. “But despite the shortfall of homes fast approachin! g a million, we are building less than at any time since the Second World War. The social and economic implications dictate that the new parliament’s MPs must address the barriers to delivery as a matter of urgency.”
HBF will launch the manifesto at a pre-election “Question Time”, featuring housing minister John Healey and shadow housing minister Grant Shapps.
Source: Housebuilder
See Also: Property News (5994), John Healey (8), Housebuilder (84)
Date Published: 09 March 2010
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