The government has announced plans to make it easier to add two storeys onto existing properties in a bid to solve the housing shortage.
Housing secretary Sajid Javid said that the changes will make it easier to build upwards on blocks of flats and houses as well as shops and offices in order to create a new generation of town houses.
Councils will then be able to protect open space in inner city areas, maintain the character of residential areas and stop unwanted garden grabbing.
Any developments will need to remain in keeping with the character of the local area, according to the government.
Javid said the answer to building homes is not always an empty plot or developing on a derelict site, arguing that we need to be more creative and make more effective use of the space already available.
He continued: “That’s why we are looking to strengthen planning rules to encourage developers to be more innovative and look at opportunities to build upwards where possible when delivering the homes the country needs.”
Mark Hayward, chief executive of NAEA Propertymark, said that any move to increase the housing stock was welcome, describing the market as “in a crisis with a severe lack of available properties, which is pushing prices up and pricing first-time-buyers out of the market”.
He continued: “The fact that this will enable existing residential areas throughout the UK to expand is especially welcome, as it should increase stock in the areas which most need it, rather than being confined to more expensive urban areas.”
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