Quote: Housebuilding rates in England and Wales have dropped by more than a third after the introduction of the Town and Country Planning Act 1947, from 2 per cent growth per year between 1856 and 1939 to 1.2 per cent between 1947 and 2019.
This has been a key factor behind the UK’s long-standing housing crisis, which has led to inflated property prices and soaring rents in recent decades.
Mate, you have hit the nail squarely on the head. We have the same situation in Australia where the ratio of available land to people is so much more favourable. It's a supply problem that is related to over-regulation by intrusive busybodies who reckon they know what we prefer better than we do ourselves.
Cannot agree more with the following statement:
The principle of shifting away from uncertain, case-by-case decision-making to a system where development is lawful so long as it follows the rules should guide all new planning reform proposals.
Increasing private sector housebuilding. More council and social housing can be a part of the solution, but given the scale of the backlog, significantly increasing the amount of private housebuilding will be crucial.
However, I would want to see the rules. Be careful with rules. Less is often more when it comes to achieving beneficial results.
It’s one thing to create a clear set of rules for the use of land in the areas already zoned for residential use. But as a population grows, we have an opportunity and a need to enable rural land to be used for more housing, which could bring more free enterprise providers into the market. It's in this area where the scope for innovation is greatest. Hopefully we can develop townscapes that don't involve a bitumen road outside every front door so as to make the immediate surrounds of a house more child and pedestrian friendly and relax the zoning rules so that we can work closer to home, or in the home itself, perhaps in the lowest story, as is the custom in Asia. Then and only then, will townscapes communities of caring, interactive, and innovative people develop. If you want an increase in national productivity this is the way to get it. High rents and unsustainable mortgages stop people reaching their full potential because of impaired labour mobility. Aiming for affordable rentals is the way forward. In this respect Vienna, Singapore and China lead the way.
Quote: Housebuilding rates in England and Wales have dropped by more than a third after the introduction of the Town and Country Planning Act 1947, from 2 per cent growth per year between 1856 and 1939 to 1.2 per cent between 1947 and 2019.
This has been a key factor behind the UK’s long-standing housing crisis, which has led to inflated property prices and soaring rents in recent decades.
Mate, you have hit the nail squarely on the head. We have the same situation in Australia where the ratio of available land to people is so much more favourable. It's a supply problem that is related to over-regulation by intrusive busybodies who reckon they know what we prefer better than we do ourselves.
Cannot agree more with the following statement:
The principle of shifting away from uncertain, case-by-case decision-making to a system where development is lawful so long as it follows the rules should guide all new planning reform proposals.
Increasing private sector housebuilding. More council and social housing can be a part of the solution, but given the scale of the backlog, significantly increasing the amount of private housebuilding will be crucial.
However, I would want to see the rules. Be careful with rules. Less is often more when it comes to achieving beneficial results.
This is enlightening: https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/how-auckland-took-on-the-nimbys-and-won-20230522-p5da9o
It’s one thing to create a clear set of rules for the use of land in the areas already zoned for residential use. But as a population grows, we have an opportunity and a need to enable rural land to be used for more housing, which could bring more free enterprise providers into the market. It's in this area where the scope for innovation is greatest. Hopefully we can develop townscapes that don't involve a bitumen road outside every front door so as to make the immediate surrounds of a house more child and pedestrian friendly and relax the zoning rules so that we can work closer to home, or in the home itself, perhaps in the lowest story, as is the custom in Asia. Then and only then, will townscapes communities of caring, interactive, and innovative people develop. If you want an increase in national productivity this is the way to get it. High rents and unsustainable mortgages stop people reaching their full potential because of impaired labour mobility. Aiming for affordable rentals is the way forward. In this respect Vienna, Singapore and China lead the way.
It’s an awesome report Sam. Well worth the wait!