Ministers consider new wave of publicly funded housebuilding | Society | The Guardian

Ministers consider new wave of publicly funded housebuilding | Society | The Guardian

Ministers are considering a new wave of publicly funded housebuilding to kick-start the ailing construction industry and ease the shortage of homes.
The housing minister, Grant Shapps, indicated his support for recommendations in a new government-commissioned report into the housing shortage which also proposes relaxing planning regulations that require developers to include social housing and allowing private investors to build on public land at no initial cost. The moves are designed to encourage a new round of construction, with taxpayers reaping the benefits when the homes are sold.
The report, commissioned by the government from the chairman of the 3i investment group, Sir Adrian Montague, and published on Thursday, will be taken even more seriously because of the urgent need for a boost to the economy to create jobs and confidence in the private sector.
Montague estimates that housing demand is increasing each year at double the rate at which homes are being built. "Sir Adrian Montague's findings offer both a blueprint for achieving this goal [more housebuilding], and for setting the standards of accommodation that people should expect," said Shapps. "I will be considering his recommendations very carefully."