New house building site in Exeter
An Exeter housebuilder has revealed plans to launch a new local site within the next 12 months.
David Wilson Homes claim that the site for 40 houses will provide around 80 new jobs in building and sales, mostly for local tradesmen and sub-contractors.
"The Prime Minister has said again and again that one of the best ways to boost economic growth and get people working is through building more homes," said Louise Ware, sales director for David Wilson Homes.
"The plans we have announced show exactly how that theory works in practice. We expect to launch a number of new sites this year – including this one in Exeter.
"In addition to the local construction jobs underpinned in building the new homes, the local people who move into the new housing will also spend their wages locally. This translates into a significant boost for local retailers at a time when concerns remain about the national financial picture. It's exactly what this area needs."
The announcement comes the same day as the government reveal a new scheme to build up to 165,000 new affordable homes over the next three years.
Starting today housing associations, councils, and housebuilders will bid for government funding that, when combined with private investment, will deliver a £23 billion programme between 2015 and 2018.
Housing Minister Kris Hopkins said: “Housebuilding is an essential part of this government’s long-term economic plan. That’s why we have designed an ambitious new scheme to build affordable homes at the fastest rate for 20 years.
“Our programme will support 165,000 jobs in construction, sustain thousands of small businesses and provide homes where future generations can live and raise families of their own.”
The government claims that the construction projects will support local economies and jobs as the developments use local workforces and building materials
One development – the North Prospect Regeneration in Plymouth - built by Barratts and Plymouth Community Homes, used local companies, Sheffield Insulation, based in Plymouth, and Pasquill Roof Trusses, based in Bodmin, for construction materials.
The announcement has been welcomed by many in the housing industry today.
Jeremy Blackburn, UK Head of Policy for the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, said: “Anything that boosts the number of new homes across the country can only be a good thing for the market and the wider economy. On this basis, today’s announcement is, most definitely, a step in the right direction. It is encouraging that, under this scheme, housing associations will be able to specifically select the types of housing needed in their area.
“What we need is more good quality, affordable properties where people want to live and are able to work. This needs to fit as part of a coordinated long term plan that delivers houses across all tenures, at the right place, at the right time. Until this happens, we are going to see a lopsided market in many parts of the country with too few homes to meet buyer demand.”
