New statistics published show that existing stocks of available "brownfield" land could accommodate up to one million new homes.
The annual statistics estimates that 63,500 hectares of previously developed land was available for development in 2005. Of this, 44% (27,600 hectares) was judged to be suitable for housing, with the remaining land available for other uses such as commerce or recreation.
In the three southeast regions, where demand for housing is highest, it is estimated that there is enough land to accommodate over 400,000 new homes.
The statistics show that there are still many new "brownfield" sites being made available every year, despite a record-breaking 74% of all new developments already being built on previously used land. This improved use of brownfield land is reflected in an 11% reduction in the amount of land left lying derelict or vacant compared to five years ago.
The Statistical Release can be found at www.communities.gov.uk.
A specialist advice service was launched, aimed at ensuring more people living with disabilities can participate in the Scottish Homestake shared equity scheme. The scheme has been introduced by Communities Scotland to help people on a low income who wish to become home owners but cannot pay the full price.
The new service will help registered social landlords to target and in some cases directly help disabled people to purchase homes through the Homestake programme. It is being provided by Ownership Options, an organisation that specialises in home ownership issues affecting disabled people in Scotland.
The Homestake scheme allows a registered social landlord to fund part of the house with the homeowner buying a majority equity stake, normally 60% to 80%. With the agreement of the grant provider, however, the minimum equity stake can be reduced to as low as 51%. This is likely to apply where a housing market is particularly pressured, or where people with particular housing needs have identifiable additional housing costs.
English Partnerships announced that private developers were being invited to put forward schemes to increase the level of affordable homes for first-time buyers, as part of a new national initiative.
The First-Time Buyers' Initiative (FTBI) aims to help first-time buyers onto the property ladder with a target of delivering up to 15,000 homes across England by 2010. It enables eligible first-time buyers to purchase a minimum 50% share in a new home. English Partnerships will make up the full price of the property by way of a direct payment to the developer. First-time buyers can then increase their share in the home at any time, and after three years will start to pay a charge to English Partnerships based on the equity they don't own.
To achieve its goal of increasing the supply of affordable homes for first-time buyers, English Partnerships will:
English Partnerships is now seeking developers to be among the first to participate in the scheme. An initial budget of up to £100 million over the next two years has been earmarked to fund the equity gap of selling privately developed homes to first-time buyers.
Developers interested in taking part in the initiative are being invited to submit details of their schemes in a competition-style process. English Partnerships will assess each of the submissions, favouring those developments that are in areas where home ownership is least affordable, will provide good quality homes suitable for first-time buyers, and will be available to buy shortly.
It is estimated that around 40% of the target of up to 15,000 homes by 2010 will be supplied as a result of English Partnerships working with the private sector.