Grant Shapps

Last week, housing minister Grant Shapps announced more details about the Government's plans to help homebuyers struggling to find a property that they can afford.

Various professionals working in the retirement housing sector, such as Peter Girling, chairman of Girlings Retirement Rentals, argues that more new retirement homes are needed if the Government's ‘downsizing' plan is to work.

Plans to permit first time buyers to borrow up to 95% of the value of a new home, with the government underwriting part of the risk, are to be unveiled, in a bid to help more young people onto the housing ladder and raise funds to increase the supply of new build homes.

Yesterday's report from the housing charity Shelter revealed that just 12% of areas in England have affordable rents, illustrating why more people should attempt to buy a new home, rather than rent one.

Private rents are now unaffordable in 55% of local authorities in England, the housing charity Shelter has said.

Homes in these areas cost more than 35% of median average local take-home pay - the level considered unaffordable by Shelter's Private Rent Watch report.

Many would-be purchasers dreaming of one day owning their own new home are oblivious to the assistance available to help them gain their first foot on the property ladder by purchasing an affordable home.

A government-led planning shake-up could lead to the construction of tens of thousands of desperately required new homes on green belt land across the country, but environmental campaigners argue that it could pose a threat to the English countryside.

With severe shortage of new homes in this country, the government is under intense pressure to help housebuilders increase housing output, starting with a less stringent planning system.

News stories from our subscriber newsletter, published 28th July 2011.

Almost one in three people - 30% - in the UK would consider building their own home within the next five years if the appropriate mortgage finance was made available, according to fresh research by Norwich & Peterborough (N&P).

The research also shows that 12% of people surveyed said that they would consider undertaking a self build project within the next 12 months.

The study also showed that the main attraction to carrying out a self-build was to construct a new home suited a person's individual needs.

Plans for the construction of hundreds of new homes in Wiltshire aimed at the affordable housing sector have moved a step closer to gaining approval after receiving support from the government.

As many as 80,000 new affordable homes for sale and to rent will be delivered by 2015, after the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) allocated almost £1.8bn of funding to 150 housing associations, local authorities, new home developers and other affordable housing providers through its Affordable Homes Programme.