Economist and housing expert Kate Barker has called on the government to invest £6.3 billion in building 100,000 affordable homes in the next two years.
The call – a bid to kick-start the UK's recovery from the recession - comes from the 2020 Group, chaired by Barker, whose membership includes the National Housing Federation, the Local Government Association, charity Shelter and the TUC.
The group called for the government to bring forward the extra investment in order to save up to 30,000 jobs in the construction industry between now and 2010.
Barker said: "Support for housing today offers excellent value in terms of sustaining economic activity, and reduces the risk of a very severe loss of capacity in the housing and related industries. There is real concern that the present fall in homebuilding is sowing the seeds of the next boom."
She added: "Social housing waiting lists are rising. This package meets a real and urgent need."
David Orr, NHF chief executive, said: "The proposed programme is a one-off chance to stimulate the economy and help meet housing need in one fell swoop."
An RIBA spokeswoman welcomed the call but warned that quality must not suffer.
"Finding new ways to stimulate the construction of new homes can play a central role in kick-starting the UK economy,” she said.
"However, we cannot abandon the drive toward improving design quality, and any financial stimulus must reinforce that goal. We need to ensure we don't lose sight of the need for both quantity and quality, and we believe that architects will be a key part of that equation."
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