John Stewart

John Stewart

John Stewart is Director of Economic Affairs at the Home Builders Federation (HBF)., HBF

John Stewart is Director of Economic Affairs at the Home Builders Federation (HBF).

His policy responsibilities include the economy, the housing and mortgage markets, mortgage regulation, NewBuy, demographic trends, housing supply, Affordable Housing, new home valuation, the private rented sector, customer satisfaction and the industry's Consumer Code, the Cumulative Impact of Regulation on viability and supply and Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) initiatives (FirstBuy, Get Britain Building, public land disposal). He maintains close contact with a wide range of housing experts, including officials at the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG), the HCA, HM Treasury and the Bank of England.

Before joining HBF in 2003 he was an independent housing consultant for over ten years, and previously divisional Sales & Marketing Director for house builder Wates. His publications included a monthly Viewpoint column in Housebuilder and Building a Crisis (2002) which highlighted the growing housing supply crisis in England and began to consider its social and economic consequences.

He has an MA in English from Auckland University and an MSc in Economics from Birkbeck College, London.

Housing crisis divides by age andwealth

Nov. 1, 2011

The housing crisis can only be solved if older, affluent baby boomers face up to the damaging consequences of housing shortages for the young and less wealthy

Misinformation drives anti-NPPF campaign

Oct. 1, 2011

Opponents of the National Planning Policy Framework's reforms have resorted to innuendo, misinformation and even outright fabrication to support their case. John Stewart explores the facts.

Localism is not nihilism

Sept. 1, 2011

Ministers need to explain to their heartland supporters that localism does not equal nihilism

Is housing a local issue?

July 1, 2011

Under localism, responsibility for meeting the country's housing requirements is passed down to local authorities. But, John Stewart asks, is housing a local issue, or is some form of top-down compulsion necessary?

Recovery should strengthen in 2012

June 1, 2011

The economic, housing and mortgage market recoveries remain hesitant, but prospects for 2012 look more positive says John Stewart

Freeing the private sector to deliver

May 1, 2011

The housing crisis will not be solved if the state is expected to minimise the price paid to landowners and seeks to capture everything possible from the remaining value uplift created by the planning system

A Budget for home building

April 1, 2011

The housing measures announced in the Budget and accompanying Plan for Growth are significant for the home building industry, says John Stewart, not just because of their direct impact, but because of what they tell us about underlying government thinking.

Post-crash housing recovery stalls

March 1, 2011

Housing completions have slumped to an 87-year low. John Stewart argues that recovery will require a restoration of mortgage lending, a big increase in the supply of permissioned land coming through England’s radically new planning system, and drastically reduced central and local government regulatory demands.

Reducing the regulatory burden

Jan. 1, 2011

The coalition government is committed to reducing the burden of regulation on home building. Ministers and officials face some formidable challenges, says John Stewart

Turning aspiration into reality

Dec. 1, 2010

If first time buyers are to have any hope of realising their aspirations for home ownership, the government, home builders and lenders will have to come up with innovative financial solutions, says John Stewart