On Aug 23, 1:33*pm, "It's only me"
wrote:
Proper urban development will beget more business rates and council

tax, so there is local government interest here. *As more homes are

built the market loosens and becomes more affordable.

If there is *an oversupply of offices and shops, rents and therefore rateable values will decrease. There is no sense in having empty commercial properties unless rents are rising quickly. Remember Centre Point?
New build homes have a negligible effect on house values because they are a negligible proportion of thehousingstock. It would take many years of frantic building to have much effect on totalhousingstock supply.
Unless the UK indulges in another round of building "new towns", the
national housing shortage is actually only solvable at the local
level. In other words build homes where the people and jobs are, or
move the people and jobs.

In the case of London there is ample opportunity for "Transit Oriented
Development". The principle behind ToD is that the area around
transit nodes is densified while the hinterland remains the domain of
single family homes and other lower density housing.

For example major nodes like Camden Town, Clapham Junction, and West
Hampstead would see high rise (32, 22, 12 floor, depending) condos
over and around the mass transit stations. The hinterlands,
Wandsworth, Hampstead, et al, would remain lower density family
oriented areas.

The dense housing supports flourishing retail at street (and possibly
podium) level. A good example of this is the stretch of Finchley
Road between Swiss Cottage and Finchley Road subway stations. While
not "high rise", this sweep is densely populated. As a result the
commercial life at street level is very good. It supports numerous
retail outlets, restaurants, and other service facilities. This would
include the O2 Centre just to the north of Finchley Road. It is a
pity the centre is built on the old Midland siding, but that is
progress.

As housing becomes more available prices become more affordable.
Folks needed to cover a wide range of employment opportunities are
able to live within easy commuting distance of work.