UK Housing Crisis Can Be Solved By Rich Land Owners

[Tony Gosling]

UK Housing Crisis Can Be Solved By Rich Land Owners

http://tlio.org.uk/uk-housing-crisis-can-be-solved-by-rich-land-owners/

January 6, 2016 by CRL Management
<http://tlio.org.uk/uk-housing-crisis-can-be-solved-by-rich-land-owners/https://c-r-l.com/news/uk-housing-crisis-can-be-solved-if-the-rich-release-land/>https://c-r-l.com/news/uk-housing-crisis-can-be-solved-if-the-rich-release-land/

The richest landowners in England are being asked to help alleviate 
the national housing crisis by making land available for building new homes.

According to a recent recommendation from the Royal Institution of 
Chartered Surveyors (RICS), those who own 5,000 of England's largest 
country estate are in a position to create economic growth, 
employment, and housing in areas of the country where the population 
is declining. RICS is lobbying the government to launch more schemes 
to support building new homes on unused land.

At present there is a shortfall of 76% in rural housing, which is 
compelling people to leave country communities and driving up house 
prices to such an extent that homes are unaffordable.

The call went out as recent figures revealed that in December, house 
prices in the UK grew at their most rapid rate in eight months. This 
happened amid warnings that a deficit of new homes could drive price 
growth even higher.

Data compiled by Nationwide revealed that prices went up by an 
average of 0.8% in December, in increase from the 0.1% growth 
experienced in November.

Sir Peter Erskine, who has constructed 22 affordable properties on 
his family estate in the East of Fife, Scotland, commented that large 
estates represent a solution to dwindling population levels in rural 
communities.

The area near the Cambo estate lost a post office and grocery shop in 
recent times, and the local school is facing a dearth of pupils.

Sir Peter said that he cared about the well-being of the community, 
and as major stakeholders, landowners can do a lot of good.

150 staff are employed at the Cambo estate during the peak season, 
but he warned that if affordable housing is not available, the area's 
slow decline can't be halted.

Jeremy Blackburn, RICs' head of policy, said that small quantities of 
affordable housing can make rural communities more viable. He added 
that the rural housing crisis could be solved if only 10 homes were 
built in each of the 1,600 small towns in rural England.

He pointed out that the issue was not so much about central 
government providing fiscal incentives to landowners to encourage 
building new homes, although it would be helpful. It was about 
encouraging landed estates and local authorities to work together to 
build homes, establishing affordable options for both young and old 
homeowners, especially tenanted farmers who will need somewhere to retire.

Sir Peter said that the TV programme Downton Abbey's Christmas 
special showed that country estates were once the centre of social 
and economic activities in rural areas. He claimed that landowners 
across the country are willing to assist in bringing about positive 
social change, but high taxes and hostile political attitudes held them back.

Over the years, he said, there has been a hostile political 
atmosphere and a punitive tax system was in place until recently.

"We are now in an era where people will once again appreciate the 
value of these estates and what they can do for the community."

So much emphasis is placed on select Jewish participation in Bormann 
companies that when Adolf Eichmann was seized and taken to Tel Aviv 
to stand trial, it produced a shock wave in the Jewish and German 
communities of Buenos Aires. Jewish leaders informed the Israeli 
authorities in no uncertain terms that this must never happen again 
because a repetition would permanently rupture relations with the 
Germans of Latin America, as well as with the Bormann organization, 
and cut off the flow of Jewish money to Israel. It never happened 
again, and the pursuit of Bormann quieted down at the request of 
these Jewish leaders. He is residing in an Argentinian safe haven, 
protected by the most efficient German infrastructure in history as 
well as by all those whose prosperity depends on his well-being.
<http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fspitfirelist.com%2Fbooks%2Fmartin-bormann-nazi-in-exile%2F&h=eAQErj17O>http://spitfirelist.com/books/martin-bormann-nazi-in-exile/   
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