Clear strategy needed for Government’s one million homes target

A clear strategy is needed for the Government’s target of one million new homes by 2020 according to Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB.

Following the release of figures yesterday from the National Housing Federation, that show between 2011 and 2014 some 974,000 homes were needed but only 457,490 were built, the Housing Minister Brandon Lewis said the government are aiming to build one million new homes by 2020. The Government has previously pledged to deliver 200,000 starter homes for first-time buyers and 275,000 affordable homes during by 2020.

Hitting this target would mean house building would need to grow to at least 200,000 new homes per year – a level of house-building not seen in England since 1989.

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “The Government’s target to build at least one million homes over the next five years is a great step forward to help address the growing housing crisis. This equates to 200,000 homes a year which, although is still around 50,000 fewer each year than what is required to keep pace with demand, is a realistic increase on what is currently being delivered.”

Berry continued: “What is needed now is a clear long term strategy for housing to underpin the new one million target.  The strategy needs to address the barriers that prevent new housing being built such as the need to speed up the planning process and a commitment to ensure local authority planning departments are adequately resourced. The recently published ‘FMB House Builders’ Survey’ shows that the availability of suitable small sites is now the biggest barrier to SME house builders building more new homes and any strategy must properly address this issue. We urge the Government to take further steps towards empowering the smaller house builders which will play a crucial role in delivering the 200,000 homes a year target. Otherwise, the gap between what is needed and what is being delivered will remain considerable.”

These targets are being looked at North of the Border, with Homes for Scotland urging the Scottish Government to not be left behind and tackle the Scottish housing crisis with the same initiative.

Philip Hogg, Chief Executive of Homes for Scotland, said: “With the number of new homes built north of the border having fallen by 40% since 2007, Scotland faces the same challenges as those being highlighted in England. As numerous reports have identified, hundreds of thousands of new homes are needed here over the next twenty years to meet the diverse housing needs of our growing population.

“Achieving this, however, requires the necessary support to be in place to increase delivery across all tenures. Crucial, for example, is an efficient and responsive planning system which facilitates housing delivery. Whilst this is being considered by the recently announced independent panel undertaking a ‘root and branch’ review, time really is of the essence in this regard.

“We also still await the detail on the £195M successor to the hugely successful Help to Buy (Scotland) shared equity scheme which is essential to builders’ forward planning and investment decision-making.”

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