A cry of anguish

homelessskilledworker

Generali wrote: »

I'm not sure why the state should be building more houses. Their track record in the UK at building property and more importantly in looking after it is abysmal.

The nice 3 bed semis that were built by councils were appallingly maintained. As for the tower blocks....

Simply free up more land for housing and give permission to build 3 bed semis with decent gardens as that is what people want to live in. A house costs roughly £1,000/m^2 to build (link) so a 90m^2 house (a decent sized 3 bed) would cost of the order of £90,000 to build including profit.

This guy is selling 9.5 acres of land in Bromley for £120,000 (link). If each house gets 450m^2 of land (a very decent sized plot for the UK) then you could build 60 houses on there easily once you've allowed for roads, a park for the kids etc. so the land would cost £2,000 per house.

You're looking at £92,000 per house plus roads, utilities and street lighting for what would be big houses with very large gardens. The problem is you can't build them because of the Atlee Government's single biggest policy failure that hasn't been subsequently reversed: the Green Belt aka The Town and Country Planning Act 1947.

Make the council every town and village in the South East identify a 10 acre site for 50-60 houses or explain why it impossible to build in that area. Buy the land from farmers and sell it at a small mark up to cover costs in single parcels to individuals that wish to build with a proviso that construction must start in a year and be completed in 3 years or the land will revert to the council for resale.

I was just posing the question, but what ever we have now is just not the answer.

I also think that that freeing up cheap land is the answer, and making sure it goes to those who want to build and live on it.

Generali

chewmylegoff wrote: »

you haven't put the link in for the land - but surely the only reason that 9.5 acres can be bought for £120,000 is because there is no prospect of ever being able to get planning permission to build houses on it. therefore it's a bit of a flaw to suggest that land costs £2k per housing plot - because if it did have planning permission its value would be a lot more. supposing you can build a house for £90k, but you can sell it for £200k, then the land is going to have a market value more in the region of £100k per plot than £2k.

Link for the land:

http://www.vantageland.co.uk/land-for-sale-keston-kent.asp

My point is that you allow people to build houses in the South East of England: that's where the jobs are and where housing pressures are at their worst. Allow councils to buy farmland at market prices from farmers that are willing to sell and then subdivide it and sell it to people that want to build houses.

I realise it's a revolutionary idea: allow people to build a house they would like to live in where they would like to live. Perhaps it'll catch on.

Brallaqueen

An hour out of london and £200,000 will buy this

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-21782706.html

This

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-38205494.html

or this

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-38908901.html?premiumA=true

ukcarper

Generali wrote: »

Link for the land:

http://www.vantageland.co.uk/land-for-sale-keston-kent.asp

My point is that you allow people to build houses in the South East of England: that's where the jobs are and where housing pressures are at their worst. Allow councils to buy farmland at market prices from farmers that are willing to sell and then subdivide it and sell it to people that want to build houses.

I realise it's a revolutionary idea: allow people to build a house they would like to live in where they would like to live. Perhaps it'll catch on.

When you are selling this land that would be worth in excess of £100k on the open market for £2k how would you decide who could buy it and what restrictions would you put on them once they own it.

How eager would those farmers be to sell at the lower rate knowing that planning position would be granted and the value of land would increase considerably.

　

Generali

ukcarper wrote: »

When you are selling this land that would be worth in excess of £100k on the open market for £2k how would you decide who could buy it and what restrictions would you put on them once they own it.

How eager would those farmers be to sell at the lower rate knowing that planning position would be granted and the value of land would increase considerably.

　

The value of land with planning permission is only high because it's so hard to get planning permission.

If you make planning permission easier to get the prices of farmland and building land will converge.

ukcarper

Generali wrote: »

The value of land with planning permission is only high because it's so hard to get planning permission.

If you make planning permission easier to get the prices of farmland and building land will converge.

True but not by as much as your example if you granted planning permission on all the farm land within the M25 you would not get the price of a large building plot down to £2k.

chewmylegoff

Generali wrote: »

The value of land with planning permission is only high because it's so hard to get planning permission.

If you make planning permission easier to get the prices of farmland and building land will converge.

but if you can buy a plot of land from the govt and build a house on it for a total cost of £100k, then you aren't going to be prepared to pay the current market value of that house, say, £150k. therefore the price of houses goes down the pan.

so, if the govt does this, then all the banks will be insolvent again won't they? or am i missing something?

ruggedtoast

Generali wrote: »

If the writer is really a professional (e.g. lawyer, accountant, doctor, dentist), why the heck can't he afford to buy a house?

Here, for example, is a very nice little place for £210,000 (link). It's in a very good area and given how hard London professionals work it'll be little more than a crash pad anyway.

It would be reasonable to expect it to go for £200,000 max. £20,000 deposit, 2 grand in stamp duty meaning a £180,000 mortgage. The word 'us' implies the writer is half of a couple so even if they are pretty badly paid professionals on £30,000/year they'll only be borrowing 3 x salary. Even a teacher with a couple of years experience in London makes that!

I suspect the writer isn't a professional except at whinging.

Good God, £200k to have to have a sofa in your kitchen.

Anyway, the term "professional" is rather loosely applied now. How else are they going to get people to do degrees in Media Studies.

homelessskilledworker

ILW wrote: »

Is the term professional being overused these days?
Many people who would have been classed as technicians in the past, now seem to refer to themselves as professionals.

You are very down and scornful about younger working people these days ILW, what do you do out of interest(or what did you do if retired).

There is probably a little bit of me that would agree with some of your conservative rants, but rather than use the stick I would prefer to use the carrot.

For example there are far too many younger people aspiring to be on X factor or to become WAGS or Jordan or TOWIE clones, the UK is rife with this live like Dave and Posh mentality. But why are they looking at this route, why are not more people looking at just everyday proffessions and taking pride in the fact that they are nurses, engineers, etc etc, even dustman. If only these people could see that working a good 40 or 50 hour shift in any job will put you in a comfortable property. The sad fact is that even when the younger generation work their socks off they are getting nowhere.

And don't give me that crap about it always being the same because it was not. I got my first house in the early 90's when I was earning a lot less relative than they do now and bought myself a lovely old victorian terrace.

ILW

homelessskilledworker wrote: »

You are very down and scornful about younger working people these days ILW, what do you do out of interest(or what did you do if retired).

.

I am self employed with a small (micro) company supplying products to other businesses.

I do also know a number of people in their late twenties who do own their own homes. Oddly enough these are also self employed (building trades mainly) but have got there through hard work rather than staying in education until there mid twenties and expecting to buy within a year or two.

Maybe there is a lesson there.