Lessons from New York?

Help to Buy has been condemned by both Tory and Labour former Chancellors.  Let us hope George takes notice.  It is a deeply stupid policy.

Meanwhile, the Mayor of New York is putting forward some interesting plans for affordable housing over there. New York is about as close a comparison to London as you can get, so let us hope that we can learn from whatever the Americans propose.  There is a lot in it, but as I have pointed out before, these things are not just about saying what you want and getting it.

His proposal for trading extra height for a greater proportion of affordable housing is an interesting one, which might work over here.  It could work if the economics stack up, but I can see it being controversial.  More tall buildings will not go down well with many people.  Family housing in blocks with little or no amenity space may not be suitable, and lack of family housing is one of the big problems in areas like Brent.  The big problem is that developers might simply choose not to make an application in the first place if they don't think they will get sufficient profit.