Sir, The Shadow Chancellor, George Osborne, is wrong about housing (“Tories to aid first-time buyers by building on green belt”, Feb 9). He says that he wants to “look afresh at the planning system, and tackle the delays and obstruction that is damaging the affordability of our housing”. But the new planning system has been operating for only a year — surely too little time to judge whether it can deliver.
The fact is that house building is at its highest level for ten years. Most people are better housed and have more housing wealth than ever. The number of planning permissions granted for new homes has also been rising. And, according to their latest figures, the leading house builders own 331,000 housing plots with full or outline planning permission.
Everyone deserves a decent house in which to live and we undoubtedly need to build more affordable housing, including homes for rent. But Mr Osborne deludes himself if he thinks that housing demand — including demand for second homes, or demand for housing as an investment — can be met without huge environmental damage and loss of countryside. As for his aspiration to “bring the dream of home ownership within the reach of everyone”, that can only be achieved in the foreseeable future by a crash in property prices, which is unlikely to feature as Conservative Party policy.
SHAUN SPIERS
Chief Executive, Campaign to Protect Rural England
London SE1
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Sir, David Cameron is not the only person to describe himself as a Liberal Conservative (Parliamentary sketch, Feb 9). Many years ago a prospective candidate described himself on the application form for the magistracy as a Liberal Conservative in the hope of avoiding classification as a Conservative and almost certain rejection.
On reading this, the late Lord Hailsham, Lord Chancellor in charge of appointments, allegedly scribbled on the form: “A Liberal Conservative is a Conservative and not a Liberal just as a fly button is a button and not a fly.”
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MICHAEL R. MEADOWS
Market Harborough, Leics