Government announces 20 new housing growth points

Almost 75,000 new homes will be built by 20 new housing growth points announced by government last week.

The areas designated for extra housing are: Greater Manchester, central Lancashire, Carlisle, West Cheshire, Wirral and Merseyside, Halton, Warrington and St Helens, South East Northumberland, North Tyneside, Newcastle Gateshead, Tees Valley, South East Durham, South Yorkshire and Doncaster, Leeds City Region, Gainsborough, Black Country/Sandwell, Stafford, Dover, Shoreham, Kerrier and Restormel, and Teignbridge.

The areas include several places with a shortage of housing but also a number of housing market renewal areas which were set up to tackle low demand for homes.

A number of the projects hope to reduce number of people commuting long distances to work. Several of the pathfinder areas hoped the growth points scheme would enable them to speed up the provision of new homes alongside housing market renewal work, such as demolishing and rebuilding or refurbishing homes.

Professor Glen Bramley of Heriot-Watt University said growth points could help to get additional homes in the south west which was missed out of the original growth areas and is short of housing. However he added growth points would need to be used carefully in areas of low housing demand. Click on the link below to listen to the rest of his interview.

Dr Ed Ferrari of Sheffield University said warned that it was "doubtful" whether the pathfinders could deliver both growth and renewal. He added:"New housing will have an impact on the market, and it will affect the viability of renewal plans. The tricky questions are of getting the balance and the timing right – and not taking an eye off the notion of housing needs." Click on the link below (under "related articles") to read the rest of his comments.