Leasehold probs: Gi’s a quote! (sil vous plait)

Photo: Southport councillors Tony Dawson and Fred Weavers

Leasehold probs: Gi’s a quote! (sil vous plait)

The government has backed the view taken by local councillors who have opposed ‘green belt building’ on prime agricultural land around Southport.

For several years, Southport Lib Dem councillors Tony Dawson and Fred Weavers have pursued high-level living as the answer to the housing crisis for young single people and couples as an alternative to the Sefton local plan gobbling up Green Belt.

Now, the Government is suddenly to order councils to build thousands more homes, with an emphasis on high-rise blocks and city centre developments, as part of a new housing strategy. This should mean more building in Liverpool.

Southport Lib Dem councillors pushed, at the Sefton Local Plan public s for more central provision of housing as an alternative to allowing developers to carry on pushing up 3-bedroom semis in places with no shops, no schools and no transport to employment.

Local Lib Dem Deputy Leader Councillor Tony Dawson says:

“We need housing now in places where people want to live and work and places which will not gobble up energy and the world’s resources. The present Sefton Local Plan does virtually none of that.”

Councillor Dawson also welcomes proposals by Communities Secretary Sajid Javid to hit developers ‘land bank’ speculation through cutting the legal time-limit for builders to start new housing from three years after planning permission is granted to just two. He is glad that the government has finally woken up to the Housing Market ‘being broken’.

“Instead of selling off all the social housing, the government should have been getting more built,” he said. “affordable house-building has slumped to a 24-year low.”

Councillor Dawson has long been an advocate of major redevelopment around railway lines and stations.

“It appears that the government has finally taken this on board,” he says. “The new Housing White Paper will promote a drive for developers to ‘build higher’, especially in areas close to key public transport hubs, breathing new life into traditional shopping centres.”

The government is also planning to tackle the growing problem of  ‘leasehold abuse’ where punishing ground rate and service charges increase the real price of house purchase. This was highlighted in Sefton Council chamber last month by Lib Dem Councillor Pat Keith who gained all-party support for her concerns.

Councillor Keith said:

” It deeply worries me that the leasehold situation is shrouded in secrecy. The fact that a new property is being sold ‘leasehold’ does not even appear on most of the sales literature.

“This is a clandestine factor in property purchase and it is almost impossible to obtain official figures on the number of new leasehold properties. My overriding question is : why are we being swamped with new leasehold properties? It’s a throwback to feudal times  – a scandalous money-making exercise by property developers.”

“The key message for anyone considering purchasing  a new property is: ‘Buyer beware!” It is essential they obtain fullest information on all leasehold conditions that may apply.”

Southport councillors Tony Dawson and Pat Keith

The government has also announced changes to planning rules will be overhauled so councils can plan to build more long-term homes for rent and encourage more stable, longer-term tenancies to be offered by landlords.

A £3 billion ‘home building fund’ will provide loans to small developers and custom builders including ‘build it yourself’ projects.

“People will rightly say this is too little and too late, says Councillor Dawson.  “But there is more joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth than over a hundred just men.”