East of England: 420,000 new homes needed in next decade, figures show

A proposed new town and connecting villages would include the area around Barrington

More than 420,000 homes need to be built in the East of England over the next 10 years, to meet a housing shortage, BBC Politics East reports.

Across the country 145,000 affordable homes need to be built each year, but only about 48,000 are being built, says the National Housing Federation (NHF).

NHF head of policy Will Jeffwitz told the BBC: "The pandemic has shown how important it is to have a decent home."

One proposal to meet the need is to create a new town in Cambridgeshire.

Mr Jeffwitz said it was vital more homes were built because "millions of people are living in homes that are either too cramped or poor quality or they can't really afford to live in".

In the East of England on average 34,994 homes are being built each year, but this falls short of the 42,666 homes per year the government says are needed.

Over the next 10 years, Essex will see the most new homes in the region, with government figures saying 111,360 homes should be built in the county.

Over that same period, 38,540 are earmarked for Cambridgeshire, which has a particular problem with provision of affordable accommodation.

'Very strong growth'

Cambridge is part of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc, designated by the government as an area of technological and medical research growth.

But the Greater Cambridge Housing Strategy 2019 identified a problem with housing supply and demand.

It highlighted a "growing 'affordability gap' where middle income households are being squeezed out of the market" with limited options for low-cost home ownership or private rental.

"The demand for housing for these groups far outstrips the current supply," it added.

Dr Gemma Burgess, acting director of the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research, said: "People want to come here for jobs (such as IT and medical research). There has been a very strong growth in the economy here."

She said there should be more diverse housing, more self-build and modular housing and co-operative housing ownership.

New town proposal

Developer Thakeham is proposing to build 25,000 homes in south-west Cambridgeshire - near the villages of Barrington, Bassingbourn and Wimpole - with 10,000 of the houses being affordable.

Brett North from the company said "a significant number of homes" in the area were needed to support the "expected growth, investment and national importance of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc". He said the homes would be carbon-neutral in production.

But the Conservative MP for South Cambridgeshire, Anthony Browne, has said it would "cause monumental and lasting damage to local ecosystems".

"Whatever the context, a new town is both unwanted and unsustainable," Mr Browne said.

"I have said many times that south Cambridgeshire welcomes sustainable development - but this is not it."

South Cambridgeshire District Council issued a statement in which it "reassured residents" the proposals had "absolutely no planning status, and it is far too early to say whether the location is suitable for any development".

A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said the 243,000 homes built last year was the highest in 30 years, and the seventh year in a row the figure had increased.

He added: "Our wholesale reform of the planning system and £12bn investment in affordable homes will enable the delivery of 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s and ensure more people get the keys to their own homes."

Politics East airs on BBC One in the East on Sunday 14 February at 10:00 GMT and can be viewed on the BBC iPlayer afterwards.