Synopsis: |
This Green Paper, "Homes for the Future: More Affordable, More Sustainable (Cm. 7191)", sets out the Government's strategy for housing based on three key objectives: more homes to meet growing demand; better designed and greener homes, linked to good schools, transport, and healthcare; and more affordable homes to buy or rent.The proposals include: a new housing target of building two million homes by 2016 and three million homes by 2020 to meet growing demand and address affordability issues; a GBP 8 billion programme for affordable housing in 2008-11, a GBP 3 billion increase compared to the previous three years, with at least 70,000 more affordable homes a year and 45,000 new social homes a year by 2010-11; and an invitation process for local authorities and developers to propose five new eco-town schemes, with the entire community designed to be able to reach zero carbon standards. Each scheme could provide between 5,000 and 20,000 new homes.These proposals are to be delivered through a number of measures including: increased infrastructure support; reviews of regional plans; a new Housing and Planning Delivery Grant to incentivise councils to deliver high levels of housing and new guidance to help councils identify available land for housing; more use of public sector land and disused land to maximise development on brownfield sites; better use of existing buildings by bringing long-term empty homes back into use; and the creation of the new homes agency to provide expertise for local government in negotiating, brokering, and partnering to underpin delivery. |