Bad deal as costs spiral

A private house builder recently stated: "I could build quality, three bed semi-detached homes, with all the latest energy saving innovations, fixtures, fittings and services necessary for immediate occupation, for £50,000 each. I am prevented from doing so by the tactics of the major builders.

"They buy any and all land which comes onto the market, whether they want it for housing or not, using big company money to bid against one another to make sure they get it and no-one else does."

Makes sense doesn't it? The land cost spirals upwards, ever out of control but they are not affected. The eventual buyers of the houses pay for it. They face crippling mortgages in exchange for overpriced properties, built on artificially price-hiked land and inevitably advertised as a select development of homes architect designed for modern lifestyles

Bad deal. The sweatshop pay rates of Telford and Wrekin are such that for most of us, a year's pay (gross) would not even cover the deposit.

The latest crop of them is being built in Telford on land on which building permission was refused to Toyota when it wanted to set up their UK manufacturing facility. It went to Burnaston instead.

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