Call for funding to halt speculation

The Government's failure to transfer an appropriate proportion of land value for development was held responsible for speculative land deals and housing schemes which lacked sustainability.

Developers could not be blamed solely for this, as they are in the business of maximising profit, said Roger Humber, chief executive of the House Builders Federation.

He called for an injection of funding from Government to enable local authorities to effect a compulsory purchase of land so its cheap development value could be captured early on. This in turn would ensure that future developments were sustainable and incorporated schools, retail and public transportation links, he added.

But John Walker, chief executive of the Commission for New Towns, proposed that if land assembly was to take place, the powers of Compulsory Purchasing Officers would have to be restored: "We need to bring out the retired CPOs because those skills are now missing."

Developers, however disagreed. "What is needed is good partnership between us and the local authorities," said John Oldham, director of Countryside Properties.

Oldham also pointed out that developers such as his were in the business of building sustainable communities which provides a fine balance between environmental and economic concerns.

He illustrated this with an example of a development taking place at Great Notley garden village in Braintree, Essex. "Great Notley garden village is intended to be a place for people.

"It will eventually comprise 2,000 new homes offering a whole range of styles and tenures, a 131,000m2 business park, a 400,000m2 country park and a village centre including a local supermarket, a village hall and a sports centre," he said.