Cameron pledges 200,000 starter homes

David Cameron has doubled his 100,000 homes pledge, vowing to deliver 200,000 properties for first-time buyers in England by 2020 under the Starter Homes initiative if the Conservatives win the election. First-time buyers under the age of 40 in England can already register to buy new homes at a discount of up to 20 per cent off the normal price, under the plans for 100,000 properties already announced by the Coalition Government. But the Prime Minister wants to double the volume of homes available if elected to enable more people to gain a first foot on the housing ladder. The 20 per cent discount will be paid for by waiving the fees developers are required to pay to local authorities under so-called Section 106 agreements, amounting to at least £45,000 per new home on brownfield sites. In a speech in Colchester on Monday, Mr Cameron accepted that there is a housing affordability crisis and that more needs to be done to help young people buy property. He said, “The young people in their 20s and 30s still living with their parents, desperately saving for their own place. The couple who want a child but can’t afford to upsize – even…