The only way the government has any chance of hitting its housebuilding targets is by privatising the planning system, according to land agent Aston Mead.
The firm’s land & planning director, Adam Hesse, says reforming to the planning process should now be the focus, rather than making cuts to stamp duty – which might actually be detrimental to the property market.
He said: “For decades, housebuilding in this country has been trying to cope with a planning system that is no longer fit for purpose. It’s antiquated, understaffed and creaking at the seams – not helped by a raft of austerity cuts, which have left the system seriously overstretched and achingly slow.
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