Greeny News

Get Britain Building. Absolutely. But don 't repeat the mistakes of the past with the same new items plonked miles from anywhere

'Get Britain building \ should be "an over-arching theme to ministers, as they flatlining head for their summer break. The economy is a long overdue boost for housing is a sure way to bring workers back into jobs and reinvigorating ailing construction companies promote rapid assignment building materials sector while critical, addressing an acute shortage of new and renovated houses.

Britain, especially England and Wales, has not only the oldest and probably also the least energy-efficient buildings in Europe. It is also failing miserably to meet housing need with supply. Current projections show that in England and Wales, household numbers will grow from 272 000 per year by 2033. But as the Home Builders Federation points out in the last year, the lowest stages of development built since 1923, with around 100,000 homes. "This year is not much better,", an official says wearily.

England has an acute housing crisis – compounded by the government's arbitrary decision last year to scrap regional planning strategies, a mechanism that sets housing targets and, crucially, lets builders, as well as energy and water suppliers, plan for the future with a degree of certainty.

When replacing the history of this conservative-led government is written, the unfathomable decision to develop these policies to scrap rather than in preparation for a new planning regime, is considered the ultimate triumph of ideology over common sense are - roughly satisfy Eric Pickles 's visceral dislike of anything smelling of "regionalism".

The impact of this decision is now clear. New figures for the National Housing Federation, which represents housing associations, showed that 221 000 houses proposed by the planning system have been removed, since the government scrapped this regional strategies. And numbers are the worst in the southern regions of England, where demand is highest.