Gaby Hinsliff reports that the Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, wants to build 10,000 social homes and affordable flats, and is urging the government to make public land available at below-market rates for building, which the Treasury is blocking (Starmer has promised big – now he must be bold and move quickly. Here’s how he should start, 5 July).
One way to achieve Burnham’s goals would be to repeal the Land Compensation Act 1961. Before this Tory act, when landowners obtained planning permission to sell land for building, the uplift of the land values was split between landowners and local councils or new towns. The act granted the full increase in land values from planning permission to landowners, making new housing more expensive. Repealing the act would help Labour to meet its pledge to rebuild Britain.
Ray Corbett
Penge, London
“Let’s build more homes” is a simple goal but a complex problem. As Gaby Hinsliff points out, one major hurdle is the availability of cheap land on which to build. Perhaps one solution is to unlock the vast areas of land owned by hereditary peers by offering them a straight choice: cede half your land to the state for affordable homes and retain your peerage for one last generation, or say no and your peerage disappears instantly. My bet is that many would accept, and that this renationalisation of land stolen from the people will drive a huge renewal. May as well dream.
Prof Andrew Fraser
Toronto, Canada
Could we please drop the fanciful notion of a never-ending “housing ladder” and the policy obsessions with building “houses” when the affordable housing is mainly flats? We need to build for rent – offering flats and houses to those most in need – as well as a secure investment for pension funds and other institutional investors.
Bea Rogers
Hastings, East Sussex