2
Feb
Housing minister promises to boost housing
The housing minister Grant Shapps has said that housing is one of
the key ways Britain can recover its economy, and has promised that
new houses will be built in order to help boost the property
market.
He said that he had already identified sites for 80,000 new homes,
which will help first-time buyers onto the property ladder, as well
as reducing the number of people waiting on the social housing
list.
Mr Shapps also noted that this means the government is on target to
meet its aim of building 100,000 new homes by 2015.
"I am working across Whitehall to ensure we release enough public
land for 100,000 new homes by 2015. But I'm looking beyond
Westminster and want to see organisations like the BBC, Royal Mail
and Network Rail also follow our lead," he added.
The House Builders Federation has welcomed this news from the
minister, and its head of communications Steve Turner said that
finding suitable land was the second biggest obstacle to growth of
the property market, just behind mortgage availability, so the
government is moving in the right direction.