New
affordable homes are needed across Britain in order to prevent economic growth from being stifled.
This is the warning from a Centre for Cities report published today (March 17th), which said that new incentives for local authorities to construct new homes are needed.
It also said the government should consider scrapping its national brownfield target.
The report highlighted Brighton, London and Cambridge as cities that could suffer if new homes are not forthcoming.
This is because of the cities' positions as leaders of the economic recovery due to their high employment rates and large graduate population.
Centre for Cities chief executive Dermot Finch said that "nowhere near enough homes have been built" over the past half century.
"We are not suggesting cities should concrete over their green belt, and we are not advocating car-dependent urban sprawl," he explained.
"But we do need to free up more land for new homes, especially in our most buoyant cities."
A separate Centre for Cities report published yesterday found that south Hampshire "fared the recession comparatively well", with more businesses expected to be attracted to Southampton and Bournemouth

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Date Published: 17 March 2010