Glynis Frew, Chief Executive of Hunters Property Plc, following the recent Budget

FTB Stamp Duty Reduction

“We are pleased with the reduction of stamp duty for first time buyers up to £300,000, although we would argue that the duty needs an overhaul at all levels of the market. First time buyers, downsizers and landlords have all suffered due to this extortionate cost, and sadly, small developers have been hit particularly hard by the three per cent second home levy.

“Aspiring and ambitious homeowners need to be given the freedom not only to leap onto the ladder but also to move around freely, so we need to be creating the conditions for them to achieve this.

“Despite this, we were disappointed that there wasn’t further discussion of increased regulation for the lettings industry, which is crucial in ensuring a more transparent and better functioning industry for tenants, landlords and agents.”

Opening more affordable markets to buyers – abolishing River Severn bridge tolls

“Making Wales more accessible can only be a good thing for our housing market as a whole and abolishing the River Severn bridge tolls does exactly this. Homes are significantly more affordable across the border, this could allow purchasers to buy in Wales and potentially commute into England. Our two offices in Wales frequently receive enquiries from English buyers and we expect to see this peak significantly following these announcements.”

Planning

“Planning reforms were long overdue. A productive planning process is a crucial element of a successful, fast moving and flourishing housing market. Bureaucratic overload as well as a soft approach towards landbankers has prevented the industry from delivering homes at the required rate. Particularly amongst smaller developers, there is a real aspirational and visionary attitude for the delivery of high quality homes that people really want to live in, and this has often been held back by an obstructive process.”

Hunters, which opened its first office in York in 1992 and its first franchising branch in 2006, now has a network of over 200 branches nationwide, with offices in a number of key regions across the UK including London, Oxford, Norwich, Middlesbrough, Wales, Manchester and many locations in between. Its services cover residential sales, lettings, buy-to-let and investment, residential block management, land and new homes, franchising and other property related services.