Expert says more homes need to be built in Shropshire

Helen Howie, a planning consultant with Berrys chartered surveyors of Shrewsbury, spoke out in response to comments made by Secretary of State Sajid Javid.

The minister warned that radical changes were needed to address housing need in the UK.

He said: "The symptoms of this broken market are being felt by real people in every community.

• There will be a £3bn fund created to help small firms build more homes

• Government aims to build more than 25,000 homes by 2020

• Every local area has to produce a realistic housing plan which they must review every five years

• Measures will be introduced to identify sites for development which are “not simply empty spaces” but are “usable sites”

• Sajid Javid has promised that he will not be “recklessly ripping up our countryside” – the greenbelt is safe

• Government is going to be releasing more land, more quickly, and increasing transparency measures around landbanking

• Javid is going to ensure people have a say in their areas – communities must have a say in how developments look

• To help local authorities, Javid said he is “looking at” compulsory purchasing powers

• The government wants to make it easier for small and medium sized builders to compete by supporting off-site construction

• Institutional investment in the private rented sector is being encouraged

• The government will be tackling unfair leasehold terms

"It's one of the biggest barriers to social progress this country faces. But its root cause is simple. For far too long, we have not built enough houses."

The warning comes as large areas of Shropshire are under pressure for new housing.

It was revealed last month a further 13,000 homes could be built in Shropshire before 2036 as part of the Shropshire Local Plan – Shropshire Council's blueprint for future development and the starting point for planning decisions in the county.

Under the existing local plan, 27,500 houses were required between 2006 and 2026.

By 2016, about 15,400 houses had been built, the unitary authority has revealed.

The review of the plan will ask whether an additional 11,000, 12,000 or 13,000 houses should be built between now and 2036.

Mrs Howie said Mr Javid's message on the state of house building in the country, and particularly in rural areas, was relevant in Shropshire because of the ongoing progression of the county's local plan. She said 1,375 homes needed to be built in Shropshire every year to meet the target figure and to keep pace with demand.

Mrs Howie urged house builders to take on the challenge of filling the gap.

She said: "Unfortunately Shropshire has been under-performing with an average of only 1,090 new homes per annum over the past 10 years, 2006-2016."

Mr Javid told the House of Commons that average house prices had jumped to 7.5 times average incomes and rents in many places swallowed more than half of take-home pay.

He said far too many young people cannot get a foot on the housing ladder, adding: "Tackling this housing shortfall isn't about political expediency. It's a moral duty."

He placed the blame almost entirely on low rates of house building, telling MPs that the number of home completions in England has been lower than anywhere else in Europe, relative to the population, for the last three decades.

He also attacked the increase in "frivolous" appeals against planning permission, saying he was introducing a fee to ensure only serious challenges are made.

Mark Pritchard, MP for the Wrekin welcomed the White Paper – including assertions from the minister that green belt sites should remain protected.

According to the latest government statistics starter homes in Shropshire are now more expensive that at the peak of the housing boom in 2007/8.