Local people must lobby for more housing says NHF
Local people must say ‘Yes to Homes’ to repair the South West housing market according to a report by the National Housing Federation (NHF).
The report by the NHF, an industry body which represents the providers of affordable housing in the UK, claims that a shortage of affordable homes resulting in rising house prices means that the South West housing market is now at ‘breaking point’.
The NHF now ask that people lobby their local councillors to say ‘Yes to Homes’ as the South West’s new build rate is failing to keep up with demand in the region with less than two thirds (62%) of the new homes needed being built each year.
The NHF argue that this rise is resulting in an affordability crisis in the region as high demand pushes house prices well beyond the South West’s average income, a situation that they claim should be rectified with more affordable house building.
Jenny Allen, South West external affairs manager for the National Housing Federation, says: “We need Local Enterprise Partnerships to work with local councils, housing associations and others to take a strategic lead on getting more homes built at the right price in the right places, which will help revitalise communities and create jobs.
“Local people also have an important role to play. Those who want more housing in the South West need to contact local councillors and say ‘Yes to Homes’.”
New housing developments have long been a thorny issue in much of the South West with concerns over the rate of growth putting too much pressure on local infrastructure.
Independent councillor for Feniton and Buckerell Ward, Susie Bond, said: “The whole thing should be organised by a local plan I mean that’s the democratic way of deciding planning and where housing should be placed.
“If they want people to lobby their district councillors obviously they can do that and district councillors will discuss it through the normal planning process.”
This planning process recently came under scrutiny in Cllr Bond’s ward of Feniton recently as several developers appealed planning permission on a total of 235 new, homes which would see the village grow by nearly 40%.
Residents of Feniton and several local councillors, including Susie Bond opposed the development due to anger over the potential impact to the village’s local infrastructure.
Speaking in response to the NHF report, Cllr Bond said: “There’s definitely an affordability issue [but] they need to look at the whole mortgage issue because obviously their not lending in quite the same way as they were.
“There’s a lot of housing on the market, if builders actually took up the houses were they actually have got planning consent and build those it would help the process along.
“We’ve just finished a super-inquiry into 235 houses which together with the 50 already granted at appeal it would mean the village would increase by 43%.
“They got permission for the 50 houses in 2012 but they’ve still only got about 6 rows of bricks up on the first few houses.
“So the developers themselves aren’t actually in a rush to build, to help with the crisis.”
While planning issues surrounding the building of new developments persist throughout the region there is a clear sign of increased demand among potential buyers with the Royal Institute of Charter Surveyors (RICS UK) reporting last month that house sales in the region had increased by 50% on the previous year.
House prices too have risen steadily, growing by 2.6% in the last year alone; meaning the average home in the region now costs £176,308, nearly £8,000 more than the national average.
Meanwhile recent research by the homeless charity Shelter suggests the gap between wages and prices is now so high that average salaries in the region would need to double to keep pace with house-price inflation.
The NHF now expect that House prices to rise by another 33% by 2020 with the private rented sector also expected to see a cost rise of 40% in the same period.
They argue that young people are being hit hardest by the affordability crisis, with almost a quarter (23%) of young adults in the South West aged 20-34, now unable to afford to leave their parental home.
Jenny Allen said: “High house prices, rising rents and low and stagnant wages in the South West are not only making life extremely difficult for people living and working in the region, but they are also affecting employers and businesses and risk holding back economic growth.
“With more support, housing associations across the South West can be real catalysts for change for local communities. They are in it for the long term and can actively drive forward a balanced economic recovery.”
