John Stewart

John Stewart is Director of Economic Affairs at the Home Builders Federation (HBF).

His policy responsibilities include the economy, the housing and mortgage markets, mortgage regulation, NewBuy, demographic trends, housing supply, Affordable Housing, new home valuation, the private rented sector, customer satisfaction and the industry's Consumer Code, the Cumulative Impact of Regulation on viability and supply and Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) initiatives (FirstBuy, Get Britain Building, public land disposal). He maintains close contact with a wide range of housing experts, including officials at the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG), the HCA, HM Treasury and the Bank of England.

Before joining HBF in 2003 he was an independent housing consultant for over ten years, and previously divisional Sales & Marketing Director for house builder Wates. His publications included a monthly Viewpoint column in Housebuilder and Building a Crisis (2002) which highlighted the growing housing supply crisis in England and began to consider its social and economic consequences.

He has an MA in English from Auckland University and an MSc in Economics from Birkbeck College, London.

Zero carbon must not damage housing supply

Nov. 1, 2010

The zero carbon definition must take full account of the policy’s impact on housing supply and the compensating policy trade offs that will be needed to support supply

Beyond Localism

Oct. 1, 2010

John Stewart asks whether localism offers an adequate political and economic foundation for England’s planning system.

Incentives for housing growth

Sept. 1, 2010

A huge fiscal gamble

July 1, 2010

The government believes that its unprecedented fiscal measures will not harm Britain’s economic recovery. But this means uncertainty for the weakening housing market

Radical politics trump economics

June 1, 2010

The coalition government’s radical localist agenda, and its radical planning proposals, appear to leave limited room for economic or market considerations. Home builders will have to put the economic case for housing supply very forcefully, says John Stewart

Zero free lunches

May 1, 2010

The current zero carbon definition can only be delivered at an unnecessarily high economic cost. It should be changed, and quickly, says John Stewart

Post-election housing delivery

April 1, 2010

With the election only weeks away, John Stewart considers what home builders should ask, and expect, from the new government

Home builders in viability trap

March 1, 2010

The state has backed the home building industry into a viability trap which is incompatible with the government’s desire to see a large increase in housing completions

Home builders need freedom to deliver

Feb. 1, 2010

Looming public borrowing and spending constraints mean private home builders will have to deliver the vast majority of new housing over the next decade. Freeing the private sector to deliver will require a revolution in policy thinking

A series of policy misunderstandings

Dec. 1, 2009

John Stewart questions the foundations of Conservative housing and planning policies, and sets out the cases against housing space standards and Lifetime Homes