Queen’s speech – affordable housing is a main priority

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by Kay Murchie

In her recent speech, the Queen said ‘available and affordable housing is one of my Government’s main priorities’. For those struggling to get onto the property ladder, this could be a good sign.

The Housing and Regeneration Bill sets an ambitious objective of 3 million new homes across England and Wales by 2020 – the equivalent of 100 each day. There are also plans to merge the Housing Corporation with English Partnerships, the regeneration agency. Furthermore, the Planning Reform Bill aims to speed up the process of residential and commercial building projects.

As part of the 3 million target, 10 new ‘eco towns’ containing up to 20,000 carbon-neutral homes are to be created. These will be the first new towns in the UK since the 60s.

However, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) UK public policy manager, Luke Herbert, has expressed concerns about these plans. He said the new homes and communities agency put in place by the Bill runs the risk of being short on capacity. The current fixation on housing numbers could overshadow the regeneration focus of the merged body he added.

Roger Ramsden of RBS Insurance said that as well as providing affordable housing, there is a requirement for stricter imposition of planning controls to ensure that new properties are not built on the flood plain.

However, changes to planning laws with regard to this new housing could prove controversial. Government plans to overhaul the planning system are bad news for democracy and bad news for the environment commented Naomi Luhde Thompson, Friends of the Earth planning coordinator.