Perhaps I am wrong when it comes to housing policy. There is an elephant in the room, but it receives no attention. Why? No one, not even the Treasury seems to put a cost on buying the building land we need and the financial consequences of these costs, so essential if the government is to … Continue reading Elephant is Hidden? Cost of land for new homes

Or, as the Lindsay Richards, president of the RTPI says, it is not broken and instead planning is ‘not a blocker, we are an enabler’, (Planning, Alex King, 25 September). It is a question I have pondered many times in recent years as the number of planning consultancies seems to grow and grow whilst many … Continue reading Is the planning system broken?

The New Towns Taskforce is fully manned, fired-up and away. The chair and members look promising. Reading its Terms of Reference, the NTT looks like the government’s best hope so far for boosting economic growth, the supply of new homes and above all putting the national interest first when making spatial decisions about development. For … Continue reading New Towns Taskforce: thundering off

Promising article in the Guardian, (Sunday, 16 September 2016, Kiran Stacey) about local support for more new homes. If true, it is the best planning news since the general election. According to YouGov polling fewer than one in five voters are “hard nimbys”, essentially those who oppose local house building under almost any circumstances. Jack … Continue reading Local support? Yes, no or…..?

Building lots of new homes in a hurry carries risks. Taking advice from the wrong ‘experts’ increases the risks. Building 1.5 million attractive, sustainable new homes in one parliament is not possible. Which matters more? Lots of new boxes built in the suburbs regardless of location, quality and local support …. but fast? Or getting … Continue reading Wrong friends?

Institute report good analysis of system defects. But solution is wishful thinking The regarded think tank, the Institute for Government has published (30 August 2024) a thorough analysis of the the reasons why successive governments have found it difficult to deliver on housebuilding pledges. How the government can build more homes, written by the Institute … Continue reading Where power lies. Reality or illusion?