According to the latest research by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), two-thirds of NIMBYs admit to being frustrated that the next generation can’t afford to buy their own home.
Key results from the FMB’s UK-wide research into NIMBYs, i.e. those with an anti-development view to new homes being built in their area, reveal:
- Nearly two-thirds (60%) of home owners who are concerned about new houses or flats being built in their community also admit to feeling frustrated that the next generation can’t afford to buy a property in the local area.
- One-third of UK homeowners are concerned about houses or flats being built in their community having a negative impact on where they live.
- Half (49%) of people feel frustrated their children, grandchildren or great grandchildren cannot afford to buy a property in the same area as them.
- Homeowners in the London are most likely to take an anti-development approach to new homes being built in their community, yet are also more likely to bemoan the inability of the next generation to buy a property nearby.
- More than one-third of homeowners in England are NIMBYs, whereas only one-fifth of homeowners in Northern Ireland take this attitude.
Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “We need to accept that if we want to make housing affordable for the next generation, we need to be more positive about new homes being built in our area. The cost of a new home has sky-rocketed in recent years and home ownership is now a pipe dream for most young people, unless they are lucky enough to be backed up by the ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’. We’re currently building significantly fewer new homes than we need to be in order to meet housing need. Not only are we not building enough homes right now, but we’ve been under-building in this country for decades.”
