Rate of house building could treble, says industry body

An extra £10bn fund for housing could be generated by pooling 15% of the assets from the top 15 local authority pension schemes, meaning that the increase in house building could be achieved without the need for extra Government spending, it said.

Sir John Banham who chaired the report, said that Britain is facing a housing crisis and this is a "once in a century opportunity" to change how future generations would live.

"This crisis should be used as an opportunity to reflect, to learn from the terrible makes of the past and provide creative and innovative solutions which can help us meet future challenges. A revitalised local government holds the keys to unlock this crisis. Councils can and should become leaders of new housing development again, not just regulators of it" said Sir John, according to a report in Building.

The RIBA Future Homes Commission report also found that the quality of new homes was often poor, with house buyers facing limited choices. Current marketing approaches by developers were also criticised for lacking transparency and sufficient information to enable consumers to make one of the most significant financial decisions of their lives.

"Only by building homes that people want in communities that stand the test of time can we counter opposition to development and create value that local authorities, developers and investors should be seeking," said Sir John.

To remedy these problems the RIBA report recommends that there be a national baseline standard for internal floor and storage space to allow a more level playing field for competition, whilst a more consumer focussed approach to design and space was needed.

Stewart Baseley, executive chair of the Home Builders Federation, welcomed any new approach to funding an expansion of house building. However, he rejected claims that house buyers were unhappy with the homes on offer, stating that recent customer satisfaction surveys were "extremely high."