Following the release of the planning applications data published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities this morning, the following comments from brokers talk to one of the key problems facing the property market – which is the lack of supply of appropriate properties.
Joe Garner, managing director at London-based property developer, NewPlace: “We aren’t building anywhere near enough new homes, as the planning system is an absolute mess, and political infighting from central government all the way down to local councils is perpetuating the housing crisis.”
Jamie Lennox, director at Norwich-based mortgage broker, Dimora Mortgages: “New homes sadly aren’t being built quick enough and the proposed quota is never achieved. Many developments get stuck in planning for years and until there is a quicker process to get sites approved the ambitious plans for a certain number of new homes won’t ever materialise.”
Scott Taylor-Barr of Shropshire-based broker, Carl Summers Financial Services: “It has been said many times before that we are not building enough homes, this being the primary cause of rocketing house price inflation over the decades. So, why aren’t we? The first issue is that there is no commercial desire to. After all, if you were one of the very few large national house builders, would you be in a rush to build lots of new houses and slash your profit per unit? Probably not. The other issue is planning and NIMBYism. We all want more houses, just so long as they’re built somewhere else.”
Andrew Montlake, managing director of the UK-wide mortgage broker, Coreco: “Though house prices are under pressure, the one constant in these times of flux, of course, is the lack of supply and homes being built. The dearth of good quality, affordable housing for sale will support prices even as we go through an unprecedented cost of living crisis.”
Lewis Shaw, founder of Mansfield-based Shaw Financial Services: “The planning system is broken. We need to build more good quality affordable homes. We should prevent developers from land-banking and find a way of giving first-time buyers first dibs on developments. On top of that, we need to build more social homes and take some heat out of the private rented sector, to bring rents back to reality.”
Edward Checkley, managing director of London-based property finance specialists, Advias: “It is hard to see how there will be a property crash when the shortfall in property stock remains a constant problem and we’re not building enough homes, often due to glacial planning procedures.”
Paul Neal of Derbyshire-based Missing Element Mortgage Services: “We desperately need more affordable housing stock, not stock that is snapped up by landlords or builders to make a fortune on. Reliable, affordable housing for everyday people. Sadly it’s not coming at anywhere near the pace it needs to and planning is often the issue.”
