Greater support for new homes, says housing minister 

Support for housebuilding has increased dramatically thanks largely to government planning reforms, claims the newly appointed housing minister Brandon Lewis.

In a piece he wrote for a national newspaper's website last weekend, Mr Lewis claimed that there had been a "a changing mind-set" when it comes to the "Not In My Backyard" (NIMBY) attitude to major housing schemes.

Referring to a survey of British Social Attitudes, published last Friday, the minister said support for new homes has increased from 28% in 2010 when reforms where introduced by the coalition government, to 47% by 2013.

Meanwhile the percentage of those opposing new homes has decreased by 15% over the same period, the survey revealed.
Mr Lewis credited the reforms with giving local people control over their local areas.

"This changing mind-set can now be seen in the pipeline of projects coming through the reformed planning system," he wrote.

"Last year successful applications for major housing schemes were up 23%, and planning permissions were granted for 216,000 new homes. The new planning system puts local people in control, so if they want to build more homes, they will."