The Home Builders Federation (HBF) has slammed the Parliamentary Private Members Bill to be presented on Friday by Andrew Dismore MP as both a waste of Parliamentary time and a demonstration of the lack of understanding of housing issues by some MP's.

The Bill by the Labour MP for Hendon requests that under the planning system "special regard shall be had to the desirability of preserving gardens and urban green spaces" - powers every single Local Authority already has under existing planning rules whereby they are allowed to take into account any consideration they feel necessary when assessing a planning application and setting policy.

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Mr Dismore's Bill misses the much bigger point that the country has a major housing shortage with insufficient homes being built, many people struggling to enter the housing market and the waiting list for affordable homes approaching five million, according to the HBF.

HBF's Planning Director Andrew Whitaker said: "It is extremely disappointing that at a time when we have an increasing housing supply crisis a MP would devote valuable parliamentary time to promoting a Bill which is both unnecessary and will do nothing to help those needing homes.

"MPs should be exploring why house building has dropped to the lowest level since World War 2 at a time when 1.8 million families are registered on Local Authority housing waiting lists. Addressing how we supply enough land on which to build the homes we desperately need, and the chronic shortage of mortgage availability, would be a far better use of legislative and parliamentary time that could result in huge social and economic benefit. When scoring opportunities are in short supply it is vital to shoot at the right target."

(CD/GK)