The Welsh Assembly musT demand the construction of more homes to prevent the Welsh housing shortage becoming more acute than the one in England, the House Builders Federation has warned.
A report from the construction trade body claims 4% too few homes are being built each year in Wales. Building Success: The Economic Role of New Housing in Wales, published on Tuesday, also said there was already a backlog of 33,000 homes.

HBF chief executive Robert Ashmead said: "All the signs are that, without effective action taken now, Wales is heading for a housing crisis equal to or probably worse than in the rest of the UK.

"In addition, it faces extra problems of having exceptionally old housing stock."

Ashmead called on the assembly to demand more new homes and draw up a housing strategy to cater for growth areas and low demand.

The report comes six weeks after the Treasury-commissioned Barker review of housing supply found that the UK needs 146,000 extra homes built each year to meet demand.

An assembly spokesman said: "We welcome the report as it adds to our understanding of the way that needs and demands for housing in Wales are changing. We will be looking carefully at the recommendations."

Phil Roberts, director of housing at Swansea council, said: "'Crisis' is a very strong word.

But there are signs that pressure on the housing stock in many parts of Wales is increasing and affordability is a real issue for first-time buyers."

Source

Housing Today