Property News in the UK

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Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Chronic Shortage' Of Housing For Young Families

Young families are facing a chronic shortage of suitable housing as a result of Government planning policy, a property website claimed. SmartNewHomes.com said people with small children generally wanted semi-detached or detached properties that gave them more space, a garden and ample parking. But it said the Government's planning policy demanded that developers built high density housing, forcing them to build apartments rather than detached or semi-detached homes.

It said apartments currently made up 59% of all new homes built across the UK, compared with just 42% in 2004, and the proportion was rising. The group said the average cost of a semi-detached house had risen by 11.5% during the past year, compared with an average price increase across all types of property of just 1.3% during the same period. It said the figures suggested semi-detached homes were in demand, and warned their cost would continue to soar if this demand was not met, pricing many young families out of the market.

David Bexon, managing director of SmartNewHomes.com, said: 'It is about time the Government specifically addressed the demand for particular types of housing.'Homebuilders have increasingly less choice in the types of properties that they build and are constantly restricted by the Government's insufficient planning policy. 'The Government needs to work more closely with developers to better understand the housing demand in specific regions, in order to build homes to suit every demographic.

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