31 July 2012
More self build in the UK could be part of the key to economic growth according to the Director of independent think tank, Policy Exchange.
Writing in a personal capacity for the Telegraph newspaper, Neil O’Brien, said that the UK should follow the example of the French, Germans and Dutch and introduce a Right to Build your own home. He believes that providing easier access to self build, together with a more flexible planning system, could provide a vital boost to the nation’s economy.
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He said: “I’ve always wondered if we shouldn’t copy the French, Germans and Dutch, and introduce a right to build your own house? While we in Britain have a right to an allotment to grow vegetables on, people on the continent people often have the right to buy an allotment of land with room to build a house on. Local authorities are required to provide the plots of land and plumb in services like electricity and water. People then get local builders to build them a house, which makes for a competitive market in house building, with lots of small family builders.
Creating a more flexible planning system and getting the cost of housing down would provide a huge boost to the economy. And there is so much more to do. If we want to rebuild our economy, there is no better place to start than thinking about bricks and mortar”.
You can read the full article here
