Next London mayor urged to make housing a priority

Next London mayor urged to make housing a priority The British Property Federation is calling on the next mayor of London to release public land for building new properties. Read on to find out more. The BPF believes that the housing crisis would lessen if unused council-owned land was sold off so that new housing could be built. Its director of policy Ian Fletcher wants the mayoral election candidates to make new housing a key priority. He argues: "There is an abundance of publically-owned land in London that the next mayor will inherit and could be used swiftly and innovatively to deliver housing. "Any proceeds from land sales should be ring fenced for housing, as opposed to disappearing in to the Greater London Authority's general account, to be spent on transport of the New Year fireworks." The government is already working on initiatives to boost supply, including the establishment of the £420 million fund to get Britain building again in 2012. There has been overwhelming demand for the scheme to get builders back on stalled sites, according to the government. Up to 16,000 homes are set to be built on sites which are presently stalled across the country through the programme. Next London mayor urged to make housing a priority Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 08/03/2012