Support for House Builders

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:34 pm on 24 April 2018.

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Photo of Carwyn Jones Carwyn Jones Labour 1:34, 24 April 2018

It is a matter for local planning authorities to have in place a development plan and to meet the requirements in terms of housing supply. The problem is, of course, if there's no development plan in place, then there is no guidance in effect. The problem then is that it becomes something resembling a free-for-all. That's in nobody's interest. Two things, however, are important. First of all, it is absolutely crucial that local authorities work together. Artificial political boundaries are just not recognised by the housing market. If we look, for example, at the south-east of Wales, we can't parcel up planning purely on the basis of local planning authority boundaries. So, working together will be hugely important. But also, of course, coming back to the point I made before, it's one thing to have a supply of land for the future, while it's another thing to ensure that that land is available in parcels that are attractive enough for SMEs to be able to compete.