THE assumption repeated in previous editions of the Mail – that Oxford may be massively extended into the countryside – needs to be examined.

The Bank of England wishes to raise interest rates by as much as 2.5 per cent in the next two years or so.

This will raise the cost of mortgages, meaning fewer can buy.

It is clear that house builders slow down completions if house prices falter: and this is happening at present with a slight reduction in UK house prices recently. Developers already have a bank of planning permissions sufficient to build about 350,000 homes nationally.

This is equivalent to about two years of housing completions in the country, based on recent rates.

House prices would have to drop very dramatically to make Oxford housing affordable for all those wishing to buy.

Many people are renting in Oxford already because of high house prices.

Not one person who discussed housing issues with me on the doorstep in recent elections expressed any interest in living in the countryside. Commuting into Oxford would, after all, add to costs and mean people are further from jobs, schools, family and facilities.

Most people who want better housing who are living in Oxford already cannot afford new rural homes at current prices anyway.

In consequence, expanding the very new city council policy of buying homes for social housing on the open market offers one of very few ways of meeting local housing demand without building on greenfield sites.

STEVE DAWE
County press officer,
Oxfordshire Green Party
Bulan Road
Oxford

 

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