UK’s Attitude To Creation Of New Towns

Only one in 10 residents have been revealed in supporting the creation of new towns as a solution to the housing crisis, according to a new survey. The research, published by Eurocell plc, highlights a reticence around the concept of new towns since the construction of places such as Milton Keynes and Telford in the mid-20th century. By contrast, 43% of those surveyed would prefer the conversion of old, unused buildings and the regeneration of run-down communities or brownfield sites. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/new-survey-reveals-uks-attitude-to-creation-of-new-towns/

Legal & General Wants To Create Five New Towns in UK in Next 10 Years

Insurance group Legal & General wants to build five new towns across Britain over the next 10 years at a cost of up to £5bn, according to its chief executive. The firm, which manages £440bn in assets globally, said building new towns and regenerating inner cities was the best way of addressing Britain's housing crisis, and would also meet L&G's aim of investing more of its pension fund in infrastructure. "If we can bring communities with us and agree planning, we'd like to help build several new towns across the country. We're already developing towns within cities, in partnership with enlightened local authorities and boroughs," said L&G's boss Nigel Wilson. Wilson also said the government should scrap the Help to Buy mortgage deposit scheme in London to prevent house prices from spiralling out of control. Read more on the Guardian website.

Measures to Help Labour Reach 200,000 Homes a Year Target

Emma Reynolds has announced a package of proposed measures to help smaller house builders and custom build play a role in Labour’s promise to deliver 200,000 homes a year by 2020. In a speech to the National House Building Council, the shadow housing minister announced Build First - measures which she said will be implemented if Labour win the next election. The measures announced included:

·         A Labour government will require local authorities to include a higher proportion of small sites in their five year land supply.

·         It would give guaranteed access to public land to smaller firms and custom builders.

·         It will ensure that any public land given over for house building will have a proportion dedicated for this purpose.

·         A proportion of the homes built in new towns and garden cities will be built by smaller firms and custom builders.

·         It will increase transparency in the land market by ensuring that developers register the land they own or have options on.

Read more on Inside Housing.

Government's Handling Of UK Housing Shortage to Be Reviewed

Nick Boles, the planning minister, is facing a parliamentary inquiry into the government's handling of the acute shortage of new homes in the UK. Clive Betts MP, the Labour chairman of the communities and local government committee, has announced an investigation and said he would ask whether the government's two-year-old planning policy was working when only 100,000 homes are being built and at least 250,000 are said to be needed. The move came as the shadow housing minister, Emma Reynolds, attacked the coalition's "laissez faire" approach and revealed Labour had asked the former BBC chairman Sir Michael Lyons to investigate whether new towns and garden cities, capturing the spirit of Stevenage, Milton Keynes and others built in the years after the second world war, would be needed. Boles has admitted part of a key plank of the national planning policy framework might be too complex and would be reviewed. Read more on the Guardian website.