Persimmon in call for green belt shake-up
THE CHIEF executive of Britain’s second largest housebuilder said a review of the green belt system was “inevitable” to meet the UK’s housing shortage as the group posted a double-digit surge in revenues.
Jeff Fairburn said the green belt was “the last opportunity” to deliver the number of homes the country must build each year to keep up with household growth.
“It needs to be done on a careful basis, but it will be necessary to do it. There is a big misunderstanding about what the green belt is and what it is for and that needs to be dealt with,” he said.
His comments follow calls from The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) on Tuesday for a reform of the green belt system.
Persimmon reported a 33 per cent jump in revenue to £1.2bn in the first six months of the year with legal completions rising to 6,408 new homes compared with 5,022 in the same period last year.
The housebuilder said it took advantage of attractive prices in the market to boost its landbank and buy around 14,300 new plots.
The average selling price rose three per cent to £204,600 thanks the group selling larger houses.