Private Eye Number Crunching

[Hymie]

130,000 New house builds started in the UK last year, greeted by the government as evidence that ‘the long-term economic plan to improve the housing market is working’

300,000 New house builds started in France last year, regarded by government as chronic slump which it is rushing in measures to tackle.

[factor-fiction]

We definitely need more housing, especially in the South East, but one problem is that although most people agree with this the same people also think the extra housing should not be in their area or impinge on the countryside

[Hymie]

I’m willing to bet that if you pointed out to most people who do not own a house – if many more houses could be built on green-belt land, then a £250,000 home would cost less than £100,000 their objection to building on green-belt land would evaporate.

I own a house (subject to a mortgage) and I would be happy if we built much more on green-belt land; even the green-belt close to me.

[The Builder]

I couldn't agree more Hymie. Our dismal building record is mainly the result of our hopelessly inept Planning system.

The more hysterical amongst us completely fail to notice that only 2.27% of the UK is built on (BBC figures)

That figure is arrived at by discounting greenfield; gardens; parks; woodland etc etc

[jomifl]

Many French will not live in those quaint old leaky,draughty, cold, stone houses that we Brits love to buy then spend a fortune doing up. They spend the same amount and build a new one because there is so much more room in France. A farmer near us seems to build a new house every time he has a grand child.(planning his future labour force)

[New Judge]

What the country needs is not more houses but fewer people. The nation needs to develop an economic model which will work with a level or, preferably, a declining population.

The amount of space available to build houses is not the issue. What presents the problems id the services and infrastructure needed to support the populus. We have a chronic lack of school places, a health service creaking at the seams, overcrowded transport facilities and energy provision about to give up the ghost with power shortages forecast. All of this is caused by too many people.

[FrogNog]

If we shut the doors now we still need more housing NewJudge. Do you have to turn everything into it being about immigration?

[New Judge]

I didn't mention immigration. I just said there are too many people here. Those already here need to be encouraged to have fewer children but government policies do precisely the opposite.

[New Judge]

But since you mention it, FrogNog, immigration is one of the principle drivers of population growth (and hence the need for more homes). Some 560,000 people (that we know of) arrived to settle in the UK last year and they all need accommodation. To separate immigration from the need for housing is ridiculous.

[zebo]

Building houses is one thing but the infra-structure is missing in the way of schools, doctors, dentists etc. In this part of East Anglia there is a lot of building, particularly on old airfields but nothing to back it up.