30 July 2013
Almost 20,000 self build homes built annually could be part of the solution to remedy a housing shortage, as identified in a new report by Shelter.
It sets out the options for building the 250,000 homes it claims are needed each year in England.
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The document, ‘Solutions for the housing shortage‘, published by the housing and homelessness charity identifies that, by supporting self build through the planning system, 19,000 self build homes could be built each year – complementing current market builders and housing associations and reducing, but not eliminating, anti-development sentiment.
To help facilitate this it also calls for a land release mechanism, such as community land auctions, to increase supply and help get homes built. But for the idea to work, it says, support and organisation would be needed from local authorities.
And where local authorities fail to meet their housing delivery targets, the report suggests that non-allocated council-owned land should be passed to self builders for development.
However, these options would require support from UK mortgage lenders – an area that still remains a challenge for many people who wish to build their own home.
Self builders are highlighted as ‘new actors’ – with different incentives and that operate on different business models and on different business cycles.
Steve Akehurst, Shelter spokesperson, said: “The problem is solvable and there is no shortage of opportunities to take action. Political leaders now have the chance to reverse the failures of successive governments by opening up the delivery market to new players, fixing the broken land market, and attracting more public and private investment.”
The report is available to view in full via the Shelter website.
