Responding to the DCLG announcement today for incentives for local councils to accelerate the building of much needed new homes, HBF Executive Chairman, Stewart Baseley, said: "We welcome the objective of the new Housing and Planning Delivery Grant. Ensuring that funding helps support those authorities that are positively addressing their housing requirements is a sound approach to making a difference to our national housing supply crisis. The land supply shortfall is a critical problem that needs to be overcome in the drive for more homes. "The HBF believes it is important to work with the government towards the objective of 240,000 zero carbon homes a year from 2016. It is also vital that all other stakeholders are willing to work collaboratively to this end. Only then can this target be a possibility." Additional briefing - Key facts and figures on housing supplyAnalysis of the Government's own figures on land supply has shown that between 1997 and 2003, the amount of land being brought forward for development fell by 7%. The main driver for this has been a drastic fall in the supply of greenfield land. During this period, there was a 36% fall in greenfield land being developed, and a corresponding 43% rise in brownfield land. In 2006, private and public housing completions totalled 160,234. However, Government figures released in March 2007 show that new households are being formed at a rate of 223,000 per year, leaving a current shortfall in housing supply of over 60,000 homes. HBF's own research has shown that Local authorities take on average 248 days - nearly nine months - to issue planning approval after the submission of an application: Click HereResearch conducted by the HBF from its major members shows that of the land held which has fully implementable planning permission, 97% has builders on site within three months of that permission being granted.Recent research conducted by the Council of Mortgage Lenders showed that whilst home ownership is currently 70%, 84% of adults aspire to own their own home. This contrasts with figures from the Joseph Rowntree foundation which found that the ratio of house prices to earnings has risen from 2.7 to 1 in 1996, to 5.4 to 1 in 2005.For first-time buyers, the situation is particularly bleak. Figures from the RICS have shown that the average first-time buyer couple will now have to save up to the equivalent of 82 per cent of joint income to build up the amount of savings needed to pay for their home, deposit and stamp duty, compared to 25 per cent in 1996. Notes for Editors The Home Builders Federation (HBF) is the principal trade federation for private sector home builders and voice of the home building industry in England and Wales. The HBF's 300 member firms account for some 80% of all new homes built in England and Wales in any one year, and include companies of all sizes, ranging from multi-national, household names through regionally based businesses to small local companies: www.hbf.co.ukFor media information, please contact: Hannah McCullagh020 7404 5344hannah.mccullagh@portlandpr.co.uk
