Posted 06.01.16
The Prime Minister announced that the Government is to step in and directly commission thousands of new affordable homes.
In a new policy shift, not used on this scale since Thatcher and Heseltine started the Docklands, the Government will directly commission the building of homes on publicly owned land. This will lead to quality homes built at a faster rate with smaller building firms - currently unable to take on big projects - able to get building on government sites where planning permission is already in place.
The first wave of up to 13,000 will start on 4 sites outside of London in 2016 - up to 40% of which will be affordable 'starter' homes. This approach will also be used in at the Old Oak Common site in north west London.
The Government also announced a £1.2 billion starter home fund to prepare brownfield sites for new homes. This will fast-track the creation of at least 30,000 new starter homes and up to 30,000 market homes on 500 new sites by 2020 - helping deliver the commitment to create 200,000 starter homes over the next 5 years.
The new investment aims to help kick-start regeneration and secure planning permission in urban areas - renovating disused or under-occupied urban sites so builders can get to work without any delays.
Posted 05.01.16
A report from the RICS into issues affecting the UK's land and rural communities recommends local authorities work with rural estate-owners to create new affordable homes.
Recommendations include:
The RICS's Rural Policy Paper sets out a number of recommendations as to how central and local Government could better manage rural land and support countryside communities, including offering measures to encourage large landowners to release space on their estates for eight or more affordable houses.
This might include partial inheritance tax exemptions, allowing heirs to avoid paying taxes on any affordable properties within the estate.
