British PM Keir Starmer vows ‘new towns’ to alleviate housing crunch
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Britain has been gripped by a national housing crisis for several years, with supply failing to keep up with demand.
PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON – Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged on Feb 13 to deliver Britain’s “largest house building programme” since the post-World War II era as he announced plans for several new towns in England.
The initiative takes inspiration from the Labour government of the late 1940s, which built new urban areas to alleviate housing shortages that followed the defeat of Nazi Germany.
The government has vowed to build 1.5 million houses by 2029, including through the “next generation” of new towns, which could host 10,000 homes each.
“We’re urgently using all levers available to build the homes we need so more families can get on the housing ladder,” Mr Starmer said in a statement ahead of a visit to a housing development.
“We’re sweeping aside the blockers to get houses built, no longer accepting no as the default answer, and paving the way for the next generation of new towns,” he added.
The government said in a press release that it was considering more than 100 sites across England for the new urban areas.
The towns will be “well-designed, beautiful communities with affordable housing, GP (doctor’s) surgeries, schools and public transport where people will want to live”, the government added.
Britain has been gripped by a national housing crisis for several years, with supply failing to keep up with demand as net migration soars and people live longer.
Prices have skyrocketed
Experts generally agree that more than 300,000 homes need to be built in England every year to keep up with demand, a target that has not been met in recent years.
Mr Starmer has set about overhauling planning laws to make it easier for developers to override environmental regulations and build more homes.
In power since July, Mr Starmer often references former prime minister Clement Attlee’s Labour government of 1945-1951, which famously set up the National Health Service and welfare state.
Its new town project paved the way for the construction in the 1960s of arguably Britain’s most famous new town – Milton Keynes, just north of London. AFP
