Whisper it millennials, but YIMBYism (Yes In My Back Yard) might be gathering momentum. Recent surveys have found more people agree than disagree that there is a housing crisis in their local area, and more would support building houses than oppose it.
They may be given the chance to do so. Last year, government announced plans to give residents the power to opt into more development on their own street through ‘street votes’. And the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill includes ‘community land auctions’, which would give councils much stronger incentives to permit more housing development.
We shouldn’t let politicians wriggle out of difficult conversations over the housing shortage
But while YIMBYism is strong in principle, it is weaker in practice. The Tory government tried to take bolder steps towards ending the housing crisis when Robert Jenrick held the brief, only to be later defeated by his own party. We’ve done away with building targets, one of the few tools to hold the worst excesses of NIMBYism (Not In My Back Yard) in check.
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