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21/10/2008
Government housing initiatives condemned as 'a press-spin exercise' |
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Government initiatives to kick start the housing sector are not helpful to the average buyer.
That is the view of housebuilders surveyed for a report by property experts CB Richard Ellis (CBRE).
According to the report, a senior industry figure in the housing sector has branded the government's moves to rebuild the industry as nothing more than "a press-spin exercise that has failed".
Commenting on the concerns facing the industry, Trevor Nicholson, CBRE's director of national development, said: "Housebuilders are concerned that not enough is being done to build confidence and support the delivery of new homes in an increasingly difficult market."
Housebuilders had called for an end to stamp duty below £250,000, a ban on Hips, and the provision of loans to first-time buyers through government-owned bank, Northern Rock.
In addition, the report stated that housebuilders had recommended that the government should eradicate empty rates liability to prevent a bad situation from getting worse.
Empty rates relief is no longer available for private properties that have been unoccupied for more than three months and industrial properties that have been empty for over six months. |
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