First Time Home Buyer News: Principles of Building Affordable Homes Highlighted

04-Jul-2006

A new report sets out proof for first time buyers that the house-building industry can construct good quality homes within a £60,000 budget.

In order to increase the amount of affordable housing available to first time buyers, the publication, Design for Manufacture: Lessons Learnt, draws on the success of the Design for Manufacture competition.

Yvette Cooper, minister for housing and planning, said: "There is a clear need for more good quality affordable housing across the country.

"The success of the Design for Manufacture competition has been to show that you can improve quality and cut costs at the same time."

Ms Cooper added that builders, planners and local authorities now needed to implement the ideas in order to increase the amount of affordable housing available to first time buyers.

Trevor Beattie, director of national regeneration agency English Partnerships, said: "We also want to ensure that other public sector landowners can play their part in securing even more well-designed, economical homes."

A tool-kit promoting the principles of driving down construction costs without sacrificing quality will be published for local authorities later this year.

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