The new 2022 Levelling up Bill was a breath of fresh air and would introduce new ways to speed up housebuilding. It would help new homes get built to a better specification, get built in the locations which need such housing, get them built more to the requirement of the local communities that need them and be priced more in-line with the level of affordability within those communities needing them.
Scrapping the previous and much debated Planning White Paper is therefore seen as being a very necessary decision, as this has failed to stimulate the building of the housing that people actually want in the places they want them and at the prices they can realistically afford.
The new White Paper is expected to change all of this.
Among the features in the new Bill will be:
Design codes enabling local communities to set rules about the layout of new developments and the materials which could be used.
A new infrastructure levy determined locally to raise the funds for projects such as schools, hospitals and roads by basing the levy on the value of the property when it is sold instead of as it gets planning permission.
More will be added here about this, as we hear more about it.
For the correct way to deal with the present and escalating housing crisis, you can simply search on The House Price Solution. This explanation is what would restore the housing markets across our land to rude health at long last. Here is the reasoning set out in brief.
I advocate a complete reorganisation of the way in which houses are bought, sold and rented in this country, which is long overdue.
In full response to the ‘lack of supply’ pontificators, whom are rather prevalent currently, the whole rationale or philosophy behind my carefully considered solution for restoring the housing markets around Britain to good health, embraces the wisdoms of bygone days. How so? There was a time when latin was in general parlance and the words: “Caveat Emptor” were in frequent use. The meaning of this should never have been forgotten.
This used to be an express warning which was applied especially where property or real estate was concerned. The words of the warning mean: ‘Let the buyer beware – unless they are covered by the seller’s warranty in terms of quality and worth’. The meaning of this simple latin saying amply describes why the current failures are occurring, manifesting within all housing markets up and down our still great country.
We should remember this because in actual fact it is the one thing which is required, in order to restore and correct the damaging anomalies surrounding today’s accelerating house prices. As explained, these anomalies arise from our having departed from and forgotten what were previously well-known and established wisdoms, to be relied upon whenever undertaking commercial transactions such as those involving the buying of houses for family use.
The problem of unaffordable house prices today simply isn’t a supply-side matter at all. It is a price-side problem not a supply-side one. A-level students studying economics ought to know this! Once this is understood, the requisite changes to the way in which our housing markets operate across the whole country may be realised so that they may, once again become normality. Central government necessarily would need to take a lead in resolving this current-day house price crisis of course.
In the local area where I live for example, there are clearly more than a sufficient number of houses that certainly could be used to satisfy both present and future demand for residential housing but they are not coming onto the market. Instead they are being used for non-residential uses. It is this that needs addressing most urgently, not the headlong rush to build more houses to satisfy a purely notional lack of supply when in fact, there is a more than adequate supply of suitable property both in our locality and in plenty of other locations all over the place!
Please consider what is being explained here and raise any relevant questions on this for public scrutiny and discussion. A campaign ought to be mounted to bring this matter to the attention of our government should those interested in this wish that to happen.
The right formula for such a reorganisation is what now needs to be fully debated and once arrived at I am confident that the formula for change would embrace much of what I am presenting and is not only worthy of full scrutiny but is a correct formula for the necessary change and is overdue for adoption.
The explanation of how to peg accelerating house prices as well as delivering all the other housing market improvements desperately needed starts here. You can read all about these fresh new proposals at the following link:
How to Improve all local housing markets in England and Wales
Anybody who agrees with what is presented here should go and challenge their local MP asking them to properly examine this and get it fully and properly debated in The House of Commons without further delay.
Posted by: Peter Hendry, Housing Valuation Consultant
Author of:– The House Price Solution otherwise known as The Hendry Solution.