Housing shortage is growing concern for Brits

Tuesday, 4 December 2007 12:00 AM

A perceived housing shortage in the UK is a growing concern for a large number of Brits, according to new research from the New Homes Marketing Board (NHMB).

Up to 80 per cent of the population thought the housing shortage needed to be addressed, with over a third saying it was 'very important', while a further 45 per cent viewed the shortage as 'fairly important'.

Less than ten per cent thought the housing shortage was 'not important' according to the NHMB research, carried out by YouGov.

"As a snapshot of the great British public's thinking, this poll is both encouraging and disturbing," said NHMB chairman, David Pretty.

"People really do now recognise that we have a housing crisis, are understandably worried by it and seem to accept that urgent action must be taken to address it."

However, the public still give credit to persistent myths surrounding house building which are not supported by fact, according to the NHMB.

For example, greenbelt land in the UK has increased by some 65,000 acres in the previous decade, while the public tends to assume levels are falling.

Furthermore, fears about land use for new homes also appear unfounded.

When asked what proportion of the land in the south-east would be required to build 120,000 new homes annually for the next decade - four times the present rate - only a tiny percentage of the public guessed the correct level of under one per cent.

"When it comes to the detail [of building new homes], significant numbers of people still buy into the hoary old myths about the greenbelt and countryside disappearing under concrete and builders landbanking, and many more are confused or unsure about the implications for themselves, their communities and the nation," continued Mr Pretty.

However, while the NHMB would like to see new homes built to address the shortages presently affecting the UK, there are other options.

This week is National Empty Homes Week of Action (3rd- 7th December), which seeks to bring empty homes back into use as method of addressing shortages.

"There are 663,000 wasted empty homes in England," said chief executive, David Ireland.

"The government is fixated on just building more homes, but we are convinced returning more empty homes to use should be part of the solution too.

"All too often empty homes are overlooked and nobody takes responsibility for getting them into use. We are happy to provide advice to owners, and work with others to seek a solution to empty homes that are reported to us," he concluded.

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