Brick tool users may be interested to hear that proposals by the government yesterday (June 9th) to ban garden grabbing has been described by the House Builders Federation (HBF) as "unnecessary and counterproductive".

The development of back gardens is something that local authorities already has authorisation to reject during the planning process and the forbiddance of building on these areas would only result in councils feeling less able to approve reasonable projects, according to the body - members of which build around 80 per cent of new homes annually.

As the nation already has a supply deficit when it comes to residential property, with a smaller number of homes being constructed than in 1934 and almost one million fewer houses than are required, the proposals are opposed to the pledges to increase the building of abodes, the organisation said.

Executive chairman of the HBF Stewart Baseley stated: "In many cases, developing gardens is appropriate and the best was to provide desperately needed homes."

This type of work often also provides jobs for brick tool users with small local firms, the body noted.

Written by Charlie Parkin