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EHA lambastes new government housing policies
18 July 2008 12:07
The Empty Homes Agency (EHA) has criticised the government for focusing on building new homes rather than seeking to bring vacant existing property into use.
This week, the government announced a new set of measures designed to revitalise the slowing housing market, including plans for 75,000 new homes to be built and for a funding pot to reward councils that bring land forward for property development.
Yet EHA chief executive David Ireland has questioned why similar rewards have not bee made available to councils that bring empty properties back into use, when such a grant was in fact advocated back in October.
He said that at that time, the majority of respondents to the consultation on this proposal were in favour of it and yet the government has nonetheless turned its back on resolving what he described as a blight on local communities and a huge waste of potential homes.
Instead, Mr Ireland said the government's 'continued obsession' with new house building would lead to more speculative development when thousands of properties are being left vacant, claiming that this was 'completely out of step' with what is actually needed.
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