New poll shows demand for quantity and quality of new homes
With the local elections less than ten days away, a new poll published today shows that over half of people who express a view want their local Council to encourage more house building in their area. Excluding the 8% of people who responded ‘don’t know’, a clear majority – 53% - want more house building encouraged in their area. 32% think house building should be discouraged, and 15% people think it should be prevented [1].
The results of the poll, conducted by YouGov for the Home Builders Federation, reflect the depth of demand for new homes of high quality as the affordability crisis deepens. Nearly two thirds of the people polled (65%) agree that Britain needs more homes; and 63% think that within the next five years a shortage of housing will be a serious problem. And when asked on balance whether the number of new homes should be increased given the potential impact on our towns, villages and countryside – 45% agreed compared to 42% who didn’t.
The poll is released on the day Yvette Cooper, Minister of State for Housing and Planning, addresses the Annual General Meeting of the Home Builders Federation. It also canvassed opinion on quality, with 52% of people describing the appearance and design of new homes built in their local area in the last two years as “very good” or “fairly good”; compared to 24% who think they are “fairly poor” or “very poor”. This appears to challenge the view of Alain de Botton in his new book ‘The Architecture of Happiness’ who argues that developers are neglecting the need to develop beautiful buildings.
Commenting on the results, Stewart Baseley, Executive Chairman of the Home Builders Federation said: “This poll shows that people want more homes to be built, with most expecting their Council to be encouraging the increase in supply. I hope that the Councils elected on 4 May will take note, and lead the way to ensure that people are not denied the opportunity of a place on the property ladder.
“The days of the vast majority being against developments are over. People realise that there is an acute housing shortage leading to real affordability problems. Councils need to recognise that times have changed.
“I am also pleased that most people think that new homes are well designed. Home builders have made huge improvements in design and these have been recognised by the public, if not by some commentators.”
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For media information, or to attend the conference, please contact:
Toby Orr
0207 421 6124
07736 175311
toby.orr@portlandpr.co.uk