13 July 2007
Government plans to increase house building over the next decade have received a cautious welcome from social landlords and developers.
Three million new homes were this week promised by Gordon Brown by 2020 – up 250,000 on current targets. In England, annual house building should rise to 240,000 by 2016 (up from an original target of 200,000).
In his speech to the House of Commons on July 11, Prime Minister Gordon Brown pledged that green belts would be protected and brownfield sites, including surplus public sector land, used where possible. But he declined to state what proportion of the total built would be affordable housing.
The National Housing Federation repeated its call for 70,000 homes for rent and low-cost ownership to be built each year – nearly double current targets. 'Any less than this will represent a failure of ambition on the part of the government,' said David Orr, the federation's chief executive.
Defend Council Housing called for local authorities to spearhead the building boom, claiming they can build and manage housing more cheaply. But the Home Builders Federation said private developers could build more low-cost homes without public subsidy if the supply of land with planning permission were increased.
David Butler, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing, agreed with Brown that public-private partnerships offered the best way forward. 'The housing sector has one of the best records in levering in private money, but to play its part efficiently this means increasing public influence,' he said.
Brown told MPs that proposals to speed up the planning process would be included in new legislation.
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