Scala Land Reveals the Conflicts, Committees and Causality of the Housing Market

(PRLEAP.COM) An investigation by Scala Land has shown that the housing market suffers from inherent contradictions with campaigners for the environment opposed by the construction industry and government plans. With millions of new households expected in the UK in the next twenty years, houses need to be built but the different factions are spending more time arguing than building for the future.

There are still more groups who have vested interests in the construction of new houses; Shelter, the housing and homeless charity, apply all their pressure to ensure homes are more affordable and more available to all, the government’s advisory council the National Housing and Planning Advice Unit (NHPAU) make recommendations based on the number of expected new households and therefore the expected demand for houses.

When all of these groups are taken into consideration, not even including regional councils and assembly groups, it is clear to see why opinions differ greatly on what should be done to tackle the housing crisis. There is no doubting now that we are in a housing crisis with even the CPRE admitting new houses need to be built. How it is to be combated; however, is far from certain.

The CPRE believe that houses should be built on Brownfield or Previously Developed Land (PDL) in order to protect the rural countryside. Whilst this is an aim of the government it has been proved that if all PDL (including gardens of existing houses) was turned into new housing, built at a density the same as central London, then still only 60% of the new homes required would be able to be built. Shelter has strongly criticised the CPRE for being "wedded to the idea of a rural housing system frozen in time". The charity further explain that due to the lack of housing supply, "in the last year a quarter of all households have had to reduce their food shopping in order to meet housing costs."

The remaining 40% of houses under the targets has attracted even more attention with the CPRE once again going to town in its criticism of plans to build on the green belt. Unfortunately for them they have not been able to provide any other method of catering for the enormous growth in England’s population. With eight and a half million new people expected to be living in England by 2031 the country needs houses and it needs land to build them on. Land investment companies such as Scala Land Group have noted this and are offering opportunities to private investors looking for a fixed asset to add to their investment portfolio following in the footsteps of pension funds who have invested in land for years.

The economic downturn has further muddied the waters by leaving house building companies with reduced liquid reserves with which to start any building. Regional Assemblies have noted this and spoken out against the NHPAU for setting targets without providing a method to reach these targets. The CPRE has further warned that cash-poor house building companies will be looking to cherry pick cheaper Greenfield land rather than have to clear a Brownfield site before building.

Whilst all the agents in the market discuss the merits of building here and building there one thing that is for certain is that with 250,000 new households expected in England every year we need more houses and we need to develop land.

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