Experts say that overhaul of rules to meet needs is required

EXPERTS FROM across the housing policy and building sector agree that planning laws are in need of a major overhaul if the country is to bring housing supply in line with long term demand.

They also believe diversifying the market, taking the power out of the hands of the big developers and opening up the green belt could all be factors.

James Prestwich, head of policy, National Housing Federation, believes the Government is actually underestimating the numbers of homes the country needs long term.

“The research we have carried out suggests that there is a backlog of about four million homes in England alone, and in order to be able to make up that backlog, we need to be building in the region of somewhere around 340,000 a year,” he said.

“It’s been about 40 years or more since we last built enough homes to keep pace with demand.

“Housing Associations understand the scale of the issue – and they have an absolutely pivotal role in solving the housing crisis.”

For Andrew Dixon of the Federation of Master Builders, small sites and SME (small and medium enterprises) builders are crucial to solving the crisis – but he says the Brexit exodus of EU workers is already causing concern. He claims an outward flow of foreign workers coupled with lack of skills at home could push the country towards a housing supply “cliff edge”. And John Myers, cofounder of the London YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard) campaign, believes the answer lies in putting politics aside, empowering communities to build for themselves – and “pulling together as a nation to sort this mess”. “This is a national emergency,” he said. “This should require a national effort on the scale of what we did after the Second World War. “We just need to ramp things up and pull together as a nation because if we don’t, this is just going to get worse and worse.”