Morning Briefing: government to get tough on nimbys

In the news

The Mail On Sunday reported yesterday that the communities secretary is to repeat promises of a 58% rise in the number of homes built in Britain each year from 190,000 to 300,000.

Theresa May has backed proposals to demand councils in affluent areas to build more or have housing targets forced on them.

And many of the areas required to pick up the slack will be so-called nimby heartlands in the Home Counties, where much core Conservative support is based.

ConservativeHome has some insightful analysis of the political implications of these plans for the government. Homelessness charity Shelter has written a piece for Inside Housing, published today, calling for a new system of house building.

In other news, The Guardian reported yesterday that the government has warned landlords that removing cladding from buildings but leaving combustible insulation exposed could pose a heightened fire risk.

Inside Housing previously reported that Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service has issued similar warnings.

The Guardian reports today that the UK’s housing market appears to be shrugging off uncertainty in the wider economy, with sales up 4.6% in June 2017 compared to the same month last year, according to Rightmove.

And the BBC is reporting this morning that the proportion of foreign landlords owning UK property is falling, according to letting agent Countrywide.

Overseas investors now own 5% of British homes, compared with 12% in 2010, as tax changes have made an impact.