“We welcome the report and firmly believe that the development of purpose built and professionally operated private rented homes can be made viable in the UK.

Unquestionably, planning can play a key role in getting these schemes off the ground, for example, the insistence of substantial ‘affordable’ homes within a development can render it unviable. This is not about moving away from ‘affordable’ housing, but finding new and exciting ways to create homes that allow many more young people to rent affordably.

We have no doubt that a strong and growing market exists, particularly amongst young professionals who are likely to remain excluded from owner occupation for the foreseeable future and are not well served by the current private rented sector. We also see a clear appetite in the institutional investment market for the type of secure long term income that private rented housing can provide, and are focussing our efforts on unlocking that potential.”