Both Labour and the Conservatives have set out plans to help first time buyers onto the first rung of the property ladder.

David Cameron was on Monday making the case that "everyone should have the right to own their own home".

The Tory leader also attacked the government for making the purchase of property more expensive.

But housing minister Yvette Cooper sought to to outflank the Conservatives by pledging to boost house building and extend the government's shared equity schemes.

Listening

Cameron was meeting first time buyers to discuss the difficulties they face in getting onto the property ladder.

He was joined by Kirsty Allsopp, presenter of property programme 'Location, location, location', who warned there would be no "miracles overnight" to solve the problems.

"But the Conservative Party is making the right moves to make things easier for young people trying to get a start in life," she added.

"After years of talking about things which seem irrelevant to young people, they are beginning to focus on what matters.

"And they are listening to people who understand the needs of first time buyers.

"It's a breath of fresh air after years of a government which seems to talk about the heartache and difficulties of buying your first home, but doesn't seem to act to address the problem - and sometimes just makes matters worse."

Social justice

And ahead of the meetings, Cameron said that under Labour "home ownership for our young people threatens to become the preserve of the lucky few".

"We would get rid of the costly home information packs and look at ways in which the tax system penalises home ownership," he pledged.

"We would also tackle the disparity between the demand for new houses and the supply, and review the whole planning system to ensure that local people are more directly involved in shaping the future of their communities.

"Home ownership is a matter of social justice.

"We want to bring down the barriers to getting on the housing ladder, to share prosperity and to give families the scope to fulfil their aspirations of having a place of their own."

Surplus land

However the government was on Monday announcing details of a deal to create around 10,000 new homes, including shared equity units, at a former Ministry of Defence site at Northstowe in Cambridgeshire.

The land is being transferred to English Partnerships which will now work with local agencies to deliver the new homes.

Development will meet "high eco-standards", said the government, including micro-renewable technology contributing to a 50 per cent reduction in energy and water use.

Cooper said the development was a sign of the government's intention to "build more homes for the next generation at high environmental standards".

"If we don't build more homes for the next generation, then within 20 years we will see the proportion of 30-year-old couples able to afford their own home drop from over 50 per cent to nearer 30 per cent. That's not fair on the rising generation," she added.

Shared equity

And ahead of a keynote address to a shared equity conference on Tuesday, the minister announced details of 23 new 'Homebuy agents' which will give first time buyers advice on how they could be helped by the new Homebuy scheme by buying a part share in properties with the rest of the costs met by lenders and registered social landlords.

Cooper was also set to announce a new task force to identify the longer term potential for rolling out further shared equity products.

She said the measures would build on the £970m Budget commitment to the national affordable housing programme which aims to deliver 35,000 new low-cost properties.

Funding for 49,000 more social homes for rent to be built over the next two years was also announced last week.

"These are practical steps to help families get a first foot on the housing ladder - with extra investment in the Budget, one stop shops to give them help and advice, and home information packs from next year to save them hundreds of pounds on searches and surveys," said Cooper.