Morning Briefing: could land reform help solve housing crisis?

In depth

An in-depth report in the Financial Times looks at a development in Poundbury, Dorchester, which it says could provide a new model for building housing in the UK that would make homes much more affordable.

In a nutshell, Prince Charles (who is a large landowner) was able to buy the land cheaply and start the project by investing heavily in infrastructure, boosting the value of the land, which was then sold at a higher rate - funding affordable housing

While private developers are allowed to do this ‘land value capture’, public developers cannot, says the Financial Times’ report. Allowing them to do so would result in more affordable housing.

Meanwhile, several news outlets, including the Evening Standard, are reporting the 50th named victim of the Grenfell Tower disaster. Mother, Sakina Afrasehabi, 65, lived on the 18th floor. A relative said she was disabled and only able to move with a walking stick.

She said: "She was forced to live there because she had no other option.

“On a good day she couldn’t come down 18 floors – but in the fire and smoke?”

In other news, Channel 4 has the latest instalment of its series on housing, The Battle for Affordable Housing in Britain.