The Home Builders Federation has released a 10-point plan of solutions to help the government improve the UK housing supply and provide the nation with much-needed homes
According to a recent study, England is the hardest place in the developed world to find a home.
In light of this information, the HBF has produced a charter that shows the government how to improve the UK housing supply.
With no detail in the King’s Speech on how the government intends to tackle the housing crisis, Firmer Foundations outlines what action ministers could take before the next election without needing new legislation.
How can the government improve the UK housing supply?
According to the report, the 10 proposed policies to improving UK housing supply are:
The ten policies proposed in the plan are:
- Use the increases in planning fees to sufficiently resource planning departments, which have seen real terms funding cut by over half since 2010.
- Require local authorities to have up-to-date local plans that meet local housing needs.
- Work with industry to revise rules around nutrient neutrality and end the disproportionate impact on developers.
- Make the Construction Industry Training Board fit for purpose by reforming the CITB levy to include key occupations for the industry.
- Focus post-16 education on employers’ needs.
- Introduce a presumption in favour of development on small sites of up to 25 homes on brownfield land as part of the planned changes to the National Planning Policy Framework.
- Reform the Standard Method to ensure that new housing is delivered proportionately across the whole country.
- Strengthen the statutory duty on local planning decision makers to accord special attention to the need to plan for housing for older people in their housing needs assessments.
- Abolish stamp duty for all purchases of homes with an EPC rating of B or above.
- Facilitate a roundtable with government, industry and lenders to explore the possible expansion of green/energy-efficient mortgages.
The UK government has failed to tackle systemic issues in the housing and planning system
Commenting on the report, Stewart Baseley, executive chairman of the Home Builders Federation, said: “Governments of all colours over decades have failed to tackle systemic issues in our housing and planning system which have led to England becoming the hardest place in the developed world to find a home.
“The King’s Speech represented another missed opportunity to increase housing supply in this country, with nothing to address the disproportionate burden of nutrient neutrality placed on new build homes.
“Major legislative change, while needed, would take time to come into effect. Given the urgency of the country’s housing crisis we’ve laid out practical steps Ministers can and should implement now to address the barriers impacting housing supply and make sure more people have access to decent homes.”
If implemented, this plan would make a decisive contribution to overcoming systemic issues facing the housing sector and give people all over the country a chance to find a good quality, affordable home.
