Home building 'ice age' warning
Wednesday, 12 October 2011 10:49 AM
A generation could face a "house building ice age" unless the government stays the course on its planning proposals, say house builders.
Opposition to the government's changes to planning is growing; with Friends of the Earth rallying against what they warn could become a "planning free-for-all".
Stewart Baseley, executive chairman at the Home Builders Federation cautioned that the "complete and utter nonsense" of the anti-development lobby should not be allowed to derail the government's proposals.
The National Trust have been particularly vocal during the current consultation into the National Planning and Policy Framework (NPPF), calling for the "presumption in favour of sustainable development" to be held back until councils have formulated an appropriate housing plan.
Baseley warned the government not to allow a "continued failure to plan for growth" and pointed to a "planning policy vacuum" which he said has been in place since the general election in 2010.
He also hit out at calls for a "brownfield first" policy, which would focus on previously developed land.
"A brownfield first policy makes no distinction between derelict, contaminated, regenerated or recreational land and what's more, removes power from local people to decide on the future of their area," he added.
Baseley spoke at the Housing Market Intelligence conference yesterday.
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