Shortage of housing? It may be about to get worse

The Government is shaking up the housing planning system, the talk comes quickly but the policy changes could be a long drawn out process.

This may cause problems for some builders who have purchased land ready to build new homes, who find that the new policies prevent then gaining the correct planning permission, particularly after the Government announced that it would curb "garden grabbing", the practice of gardens being sold for new homes to be built on.

New affordable housing could fall dramatically as private developers who could previously obtain planning permission in exchange for building some social housing, will no longer be able to do so.

Housing and planning powers are to be returned to local councils, with regional strategies expected to be abolished in the near future. The problem will lie where the bill for decentralisation isn't due to be debated until the autumn, but everyone knows it's coming, so with the uncertainty of what may be decided looming, no decisions are made leaving the whole process in limbo.