If you believe getting more homes built in the right places is the most important issue facing the country, this has been a pretty dispiriting few months.
First the Government agreed to significantly weaken the planning system in the face of a backbench rebellion, prompting dozens of councils to drop their own local targets. Then we had figures showing the number of developments granted planning permission last year was at its lowest level since 2006. Added to which, surveyors this week report a ‘frenzied’ rental market all over the country, as a chronic shortage of properties drives already unaffordable rents higher still.
Meanwhile the Government responds with proposals that are at best minor and at worst will exacerbate the situation: forcing AirBnB hosts to seek planning permission, say, or raising council tax on second home owners – a popular policy in some areas, granted, but not one that is going to address the supply crunch.
