South West Housing Initiative

GOVERNMENT PLANS FOR MORE SOUTH WEST HOMES IS “GREAT NEWS” – BUT NOT WITHOUT THE SUPPORTING SERVICES

Announcing bigger targets for affordable homes is meaningless if delivery of transport, education, and health service improvements is “frozen”, warn South West housing experts.

The Government‘s new increased targets for house-building in the South West, with a bigger number of affordable homes, is “fantastic news” in the battle to combat the region‘s housing crisis – but could be undermined without a matching determination to deliver supporting infrastructure.

This is the view of the South West Housing Initiative – the region‘s unique voluntary partnership of the largest house-builders, housing associations, housing professions, and employers, formed to tackle the fact that the South West has the UK‘s biggest housing crisis.

According to Martin Willey, co-ordinator of the South West Housing Initiative: “The Government‘s decision to increase house-building numbers to 29,600 per year, with instructions to boost the number of affordable homes from 7,000 to 10,000 per year, is just what the region needs.

“At a time when the region is growing by more than 25,000 households per year, and also has a massive number of young people and key workers unable to find a home, the Government has recognised the need for a big boost in house-building. The increased target for affordable homes also reflects this region‘s dire situation in having the biggest affordability gap between average earnings and average house prices”, said Mr Willey.

However, the South West Housing Initiative, whose partners include the Home Builders Federation, the National Housing Federation, the Chartered Institute of Housing, the Royal Town Planning Institute, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, and the Confederation of British Industry, is deeply concerned by a key element in the Government‘s new announcement.

“The Government has rejected suggestions proposed by the Regional Assembly for the infrastructure improvements needed in transport, education, and healthcare services to support the planned growth in homes and population. Instead, they have called for a consultation on identifying those needs, and how they can be delivered.

“The South West Housing Initiative will be keen to contribute to that process – but it must not become frozen in a prolonged ‘talking shop‘, delaying the crucial delivery of the transport, education, healthcare, and other infrastructure that will make possible the delivery of the increased number of new homes the region so badly needs”, said Mr Willey.

“The Government has now acknowledged that this region, and its economy, needs almost 30,000 new homes each year. In recent years, no more than about 17,000 have been built: right now, the downturn in the housing market has reduced that number to less than 10,000.

“Meanwhile, the region‘s young people and key workers are struggling to find a home. If they have to move elsewhere, the region‘s economy and ‘quality of life‘ will plummet”, warned Mr Willey.

END 24th July 2008

Further information:

Martin Willey 07836-315896