Local councils have been urged to be more creative in redeveloping land in a bid to increase the number of new homes built.

With the crisis in affordable housing continuing, regeneration minister Lord Rooker says the current planning laws are limiting plans for new developments.

Forum Response: British Property Federation

Ian Fletcher, commercial and residential director at the BPF, told ePolitix.com: "The minister is right that some local authorities could be more creative.

"For example, allowing greater flexibility for change of use from commercial to residential, thinking more about density issues, and being more creative with planning obligations, for example, allowing key worker accommodation to satisfy planning obligation demands.

"Ultimately, however, the biggest blockage is resource (the pay and status of planning officers) and the way that the planning system works on a day-to-day basis, which only central government can resolve through appropriate funding and direction."