Over the last few years we have heard whisperings of opposition to the louder, more well established “Not in my back yard” (NIMBY) campaigns, but it is brilliant to see that those whisperings have evolved into a fully-fledged movement, with recent research revealing that 57% of adults in London now say yes to new builds near them.
For far too long we have been at the beck and call of the elite, who have placed their concerns for preserving the status quo over the dire need for affordable housing.
It is refreshing to see the sentiment swing in favour of millennials and those struggling to get onto the property ladder. I have 12 different schemes currently in planning for 100 new homes, every one of which has been caught up in months of painful battles with older locals and parishes.
We need to start thinking about future generations, and if that means sacrificing some allotment space then so be it. With the number of homeowners in the 25-29 age bracket dropping by up to 50% since 1990, we need to re-evaluate our stance on property ownership in this country by removing the correlation between affluent areas and difficulties in getting a planning permission.
At the moment, there is no clear guidance as to who should be responsible for boosting the housing in local areas, with the government putting mounting pressure on councils to increase housing input despite a limited budget. It is time we follow in the footsteps of Eastleigh Borough Council and open up the dialogue between councils and developers to boost housing stock.
Managed responsibly a sense of community will flourish for generations to come, rather than isolating those who need help and didn’t have the advantage of capitalising on an affordable property market 20 years ago. The fact that the bank of Mum and Dad has become the ninth biggest mortgage lender in the UK is shocking and it is time we come together to encourage new developments and address the imbalance that has developed in our country.
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