Planning Experts Say Government Needs To Rethink Its Approach to House Building

Legal experts at law firm Irwin Mitchell say demands on developers to provide affordable housing is contributing to the housing crisis as it was announced that home ownership levels in England have fallen to a 30 year low.

The growing gap between house prices and income has created a housing crisis that reaches beyond London to areas such as Manchester, Yorkshire and the West Midlands.

According to a new report by the Resolution Foundation, Greater Manchester has seen its biggest slump in ownership since its peak in the early 2000s.

Home ownership across England peaked in April 2003, when 71% of households owned their home, either outright or with a mortgage.

But according to the think tank, that figure had dropped to 64% by February 2016 - the lowest since 1986.

Head of Planning at Irwin Mitchell, Carl Dyer, said houses prices were high due to high demand resulting from their scarcity and added that the supply of new homes was inadequate as a result of affordable housing thresholds set by local authorities being too high.