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05/11/2008
Second homes affecting affordable housing shortage, statistics reveal |
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The Top Ten most desirable second home locations in England have been hit by a 66 per cent increase in housing waiting lists.
That is according to the National Housing Federation (NFH), whose research reveals that second homes are having an impact on the lack of affordable housing in the UK.
Nearly one in four homes in the City of London are owned by people who do no live there on a permanent basis, meanwhile waiting lists for affordable homes in the area have soared by 115 per cent over the last five years.
David Orr, chief executive of the NHF, said: "We must recognise the fact that second home ownership has, in many cases, priced local people out of these highly desirable locations, which has had a damaging impact on community life and increasingly seen services and shops close down as a result."
Mr Orr called for the government to find new ways of freeing up more public land for new affordable homes. He also said that there should be restrictions placed on the right to buy council houses in areas where there was an acute shortage of housing.
A recent article by KPMG for the NFH revealed that developing associations using property for rent that was originally developed for sale could face costs amounting to thousands of pounds. |
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