A WORCESTERSHIRE MP has vowed to fix Britain's "broken housing market" after unveiling a Government White Paper to ease the property crisis.

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid today urged councils and developers to up their game in a critical assessment on the housing market.

The Conservative said planning laws will be watered down so there is an automatic presumption of approval to development on brownfield sites, and outlined plans to build so-called 'affordable rents' with prices 20 per cent below true market value.

He also attacked the 40 per cent of councils across Britain still without up-to-date local development plans - which does not include Worcestershire - and said those with a current plan must review it every five years.

It could yet have implications for the South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP), which earmarks land across Worcester, Malvern and Wychavon for 28,370 homes by 2030.

The White Paper also proposed to reduce the time builders get for starting new housing plots from three years to two years, and a £3 billion fund to allow small firms to assemble parts of buildings in factories.

Mr Javid also urged developers to rip up the rulebook and go back to 'high density' property, with planning rules tweaked to favour high-rise blocks and city centre living.

That could also have a significant impact on Worcester, where the only high-rise flats are in Newport Street and St John's.

Mr Javid said the country needed at least 250,000 more homes in Britain as a result of a "big deficit" built up over decades.

"The fact is we haven’t been building enough homes for decades under successive governments," he said.

"The current system is not working – I think it’s the greatest barrier to social progress we have today.

"Walk down your local high street today and there’s one sight you’re almost certain to see.

"Young people, faces pressed against the estate agent’s window, trying and failing to find a home they can afford.

"With prices continuing to sky-rocket, if we don’t act now, a whole generation could be left behind."

Worcester News:

Councillor Roger Berry, Worcester City Council's cabinet member for housing and heritage, said today: "In Worcester we have a significant need for rented accommodation so that's a welcome step in the right direction.

"It is a reversal of their previous policies, the acceptance that people do need to rent.

"The other week I cut a sod on a new development in Worcester, but it's taken three years to reach that stage - more has got to be done."