Looking at some of Housing Today’s headlines over the past few weeks makes for some slightly depressing reading for those of us hoping for a housebuilding boom.

“Starts and completions fall” … “The great local plan slowdown” … “House prices to fall 5%” … and on it goes. The expectation of an impending house price crash and drop-off in development activity is gaining traction. Certainly, there is a huge question mark over how housebuilders will respond if house price inflation no longer offsets the hit from increased material and labour cost inflation as it has largely done over the past year.