4 December 2014 | By Devraj Ray
Chief Treasury secretary Danny Alexander has recommended the Government commissions the building of new homes on state-owned land in a bid to tackle the housing crisis.
The Financial Times reports that Alexander this week gave the example of former RAF base Northstowe as a potential building site for 10,000 homes, adding this was being “examined as a solution for the country as a whole.”
The proposals would see the Homes and Community Agency direct the sourcing of building sites and commissioning the building of thousands of new homes, some of which would be built as affordable housing. The Government would then retain any profits made from the sale of these homes.
Currently, around 150,000 homes are constructed each year and industry experts have stated that at least 200,000 are needed each year to tackle the UK’s housing shortage.