The average new home in England will have to last 2,000 years if the rate of house building and replacement continues, the Local Government Association has warned.
With the country needing to build around 250,000 homes a year it is clear that we have not built enough homes for decades. As a result, says the LGA, existing homes must house more people and last for much longer.
The research, carried out for the LGA, also reveals most local areas have more homes built before 1930 then from any other period of time, demonstrating the age of much of England’s housing stock.
The LGA is calling on government to help councils build a new generation of high quality, genuinely affordable and additional homes, supported by adequate infrastructure and services. Housebuilders, it says, also need to work with councils to ensure new homes are built to a good quality, and will stand the test of time.
Cllr Judith Blake, LGA Housing spokesperson, said: “Councils need to be able to ensure quality through the planning system, and to encourage high standards in rented and owned properties across the board. To spark a desperately-needed renaissance in council housebuilding, councils also need to able to borrow to build new homes and keep all receipts from any homes they sell to reinvest in building new homes that are of a good quality and affordable.”
In response Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB said: “In order to address this problem, it is vital that the Government acts on key proposals in the March 2017 Housing White Paper. The White Paper quite rightly emphasis the need to diversify the house building sector so it is less reliant on a small number of large house building companies to build our homes. The concern is that almost six months after the White Paper was published, we’ve seen limited movement on a range of policies that if implemented, could start making a difference today.”
