Gordon Brown's plan to build 3 million homes by 2020 is coming under renewed criticism from a powerful group of MPs just days after Caroline Flint, the housing minister, inadvertently let slip that prices are to fall by 10 per cent.
The environmental audit committee is accumulating evidence to assess the impact of 3 million new homes. Tim Yeo, its chairman, is concerned that new homes are not near transport hubs and have few employment opportunities, so leading to increased commuting. In addition, too few new homes, he argues, are built with sustainable materials, many proposed settlements are located in flood plains, and there are fears about inferior quality. Yeo also wants more money diverted into energy efficiency. 'We are years behind other European countries,' he said.
The committee has already taken one week's evidence, with more sessions scheduled this week. The report will be published in July.
Criticism of Brown's housing plans, a central plank of his premiership, will be unwelcome for the Prime Minister whose time as Chancellor coincided with a housing boom caused in part by a lack of newly built homes. The number of new homes built this year is likely to be about 150,000 - 50,000 fewer than last year.
full article
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment