Planning is better off without politicians!

Here at The Property Recruitment Company we are in continuous contact with clients and are always having conversations about the latest developments in the sector. A topic that is always front and centre when speaking to professionals working in the sector is housing in London. The market is still so buoyant and latest forecasts estimate that a baby born today faces paying £3.4 million for their first property.

Action needs to be taken now then, for the government to be able to help new first-time buyers and save London from being the domain of the super-rich.  Many in the industry are supporting the build to rent schemes, and as Greystar prepare to purchase its first purpose built private rental scheme in the UK for £230 million it definitely won’t be the last of this type of project. This will undoubtedly require people of a very specific and highly sought after skill set to be employed across the capital – the question being is the labour force in London developed enough to be able to cope with this change?

Many advise renting over a mortgage, claiming it is better than being tied down to one location and dealing with the repairs and maintenance issues. There are already so many discouraging opinions around people taking ownership of their homes or several homes that can potentially bring financial stability. The Government also have plans to build more homes in cities surrounding London, which raises the question, is there a capacity issue in London? Will changes to housing policy affect the type of workers that the sector needs?

One thing is for sure, planning is better off without politicians. It seems as if a sustainable framework is yet to be put in place or at least acted on. Yes there are cranes all over London and up and down the UK projects nearing completion, but all we see are flats and luxury apartments and many first time buyers will be priced out of the market. For example everyone is excited about the Battersea Power Station regeneration but we see many apartments being bought and only lived in on the weekend by the super-rich, or bought by foreigners and maybe never lived in. This is a worry for London’s economy in general.

What do you think is the best way forward for the development of housing in London? How do you think this will impact the jobs market? Let us know in the comments below  or on our twitter @propertyreccomp

Alex Evans

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Office space back in favour as return to workplace drives commercial demand

The latest research by BPS London has revealed that office space is currently the most in-demand commercial property asset across England, as the continued return to a physical workplace sees offices fall back in favour with British businesses. BPS London analysed investor demand across the commercial property market, assessing the proportion of available opportunities within…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 14/1/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   Latest Weil European Distress Index (WEDI) points to a materially more fragile outlook  Europe’s corporate distress picture appeared to stabilise on the surface in Q4 2025, but the latest Weil European Distress Index (WEDI) points to a materially more fragile outlook moving into 2026.…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 15/1/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   Pan-European €400m micro-living portfolio to be managed and digitised by Reos  Prop.com, a leading real estate investment manager focused on unlocking value for investors through digital technology, has launched a strategic partnership with property management and digitalisation specialist Reos GmbH to develop one of…
Read More
Breaking News

South East sees most sellers relisting

New research from Property DriveBuy reveals that sellers who are re-entering the market are reducing their asking price by an average of £5,300 to try and snag a buyer, but in London this reduction climbs as high as £27,000, while the South East is the region where most sellers are relisting this year having failed…
Read More
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Average rents rise by 2% in 2025, predicted to rise by further 2% in 2026

The average advertised rent of homes outside of London fell in Q4 2025 by 1.1% (-£15), dropping to £1,370 per calendar month. It’s only the second time in five years that quarterly rents have fallen: Across the whole of 2025, average advertised rents rose by 2.2% compared to 2024 As the market settles into a…
Read More
Breaking News

Landlord Demographics Remain Broadly Unchanged

Propertymark analyses the latest figures from the English Private Landlord Survey 2024, published alongside headline findings from the English Housing Survey 2024–25, showing that the profile of private landlords in England has remained remarkably consistent with previous surveys, even as landlords navigate ongoing tax changes and evolving standards and expectations. The data highlights that the…
Read More