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Mortgage access and planning system must be fixed, says builders' body
08/12/10
Edited by Bob Witham.Builders need the key issues of mortgage availability and the future of the planning system resolved if they are to meet the "huge demand" for residential property, according to one industry expert.
Steve Turner of the Home Builders Federation (HBF) said the delivery of housing is currently at "historically low levels" primarily because of these two factors.
"We have got to see more mortgages - especially for first-time buyers - and we have got to see a functional planning system," he argued.
At present, the HBF estimates that the construction industry completes around 130,000 properties a year. Yet it needs to produce double that amount to meet demand.
Mr. Turner's comments come after the Construction Products Association said private house building will expand by five per cent over the next two years.
However, the organisation predicted that public sector workloads will contract by 17 per cent over the same period and the industry as a whole will not record annual growth until 2013.
