Infrastructure stole the headlines this week, what with Boris Johnson’s flight from the Heathrow third runway vote and the government ditching the Swansea Tidal Lagoon scheme. The unfortunate timing highlighted the contrasting fates of these two high-profile projects – one representing a massive investment in the South-east, the other an abandonment of green innovation in Wales – and was bound to lead to outraged reactions. With all the fuss, mainstream media has paid little attention to a flurry of housing announcements that also came at the start of the week.

First up, Tory grandee Oliver Letwin released his draft analysis of the measures needed to speed up the rate of housebuilding; by Tuesday housing secretary James Brokenshire had pledged to boost social housing, and a cross-party group of MPs had set out proposals for a “new homes ombudsman” to help provide better redress for dissatisfied homebuyers. All of which slightly overshadowed the Liberal Democrats’ launch of their new housing policy on the same day.

So if we take this week as a snapshot, can we detect a general mood emerging from the policy wonks? The Letwin review has taken an in-depth look at how developers are slowing the system down by limiting the number of new-build homes that are released for sale. 

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