Government says it’s pumping £20 billion into building new homes

A package to build more homes, announced by the chancellor Rishi Sunak, has been welcomed by the housebuilding industry. 

The  Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is receiving almost £10bn of funding in the next financial year, with the majority of the funds devoted to developing more new build homes. 

The government aims to deliver more affordable, secure and greener homes for people across the country. Funding in the spending review will go towards our long-term investments in housing, including through a £7.1bn National Home Building Fund. 

In addition, they say there is more than £12bn being invested through the Affordable Homes Programme in the coming years, which brings investment in housing to almost £20bn. 

The National Home Building Fund’s investment of £7.1bn over four years is intended to shake up the housing market by backing smaller developers, unlocking brownfield land and supporting innovative construction techniques. 

Zah Azeem, Partner at Wimbledon-based chartered surveyors Scrivener Tibbatts said: “Based on data from the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Greater London Authority it’s been estimated that that an additional 283,000 homes need to be built in London just to meet the existing backlog of housing need. I don’t think anyone’s convinced the Government’s on top of this issue, for all the big £ numbers they say are available.” You can read their own research here

To help support growth in housebuilding, the government in August published Planning for the Future, setting out reforms to the country’s outdated planning system to deliver the high-quality, sustainable homes that communities need. 

Reported here Executive chairman of the Home Builders Federation, Stewart Baseley, said: “The numbers show the continued progress being made by the industry to deliver more homes. Home builders have delivered more homes seven years in a row, increasing the number of homes built by 42% in five years. 

“Alongside these benefits, the industry is also creating tens of thousands of new jobs each year and boosting economies across the country. Delivering new homes generates huge investment in infrastructure and amenities in communities, benefiting both new and existing residents. 

“Looking ahead, building more high quality, environmentally friendly homes can play a major part in supporting the economy as the country recovers from the impacts of coronavirus.” 

If you would like to discuss something related to a valuation please contact Zah via email at zah@scrivenertibbatts.co.uk or call 020 8947 7040.