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Localism drive 'could be brilliant for rural housing'
30/11/10
Edited by Bob Witham.The government's localism agenda will play a key role in the development of the rural residential property market in 2011, according to one expert.
Jason Beedell, head of research at real estate consultant Smiths Gore, said the coalition's stated desire to hand back power to councils and communities could be "brilliant for the countryside".
In July, housing minister Grant Shapps announced plans for a "Right to Build" to help England's towns and villages develop new homes in their area.
Under the scheme, a project would be able to bypass the planning system if it received the backing of enough local people.
Mr. Beedell said: "There could be more housing built where it is needed and more affordable housing - not just social housing, but starter housing and first-time buyer housing - which would be great."
However, he acknowledged that the system could also damage access to accommodation in some areas if local people continually object to new schemes.
The Federation of Master Builders has called for the Right to Build approval threshold to be lowered from 90 per cent to ensure a "tiny minority" cannot block much-needed developments.
