Over 110 people gathered recently at Reading’s Holiday Inn to attend a Question Time event, based on the TV programme, hosted by the RICS for the benefit of both members and others interested in attending. Haslams’ Partner Steven Smith was one of the six experts on the Panel charged with dealing with questions from the floor on various issues relating to housing supply, development land banking, `help to buy` and many other hot topics concerning the residential market at the present time.
Steven said: “It was an interesting session with many strong views expressed by both the panel members and from the audience. The residential market is certainly one that gets everyone moved to comment. Inevitably the main debates centred upon the land supply shortage and rising prices; and this was once again put down to the planning system being overly complicated and failing to deliver enough land on which to build and the availability of mortgage finance, though the emergence of the PRS (private rented sector) was also a focal point for discussion.”
Others on the Panel included John Beresford, Development Director, at Grainger plc, Phil Edwards, Relationship Manager at Barclays Bank and Sam Parkes, Senior Lecturer at the School of Real Estate and Land Management at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester.
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Steven Smith
BSc (Est Man) FRICS FCI Arb FCABE