Miliband's 'land grab' criticised

Ed Miliband has come under criticism after unveiling measures to extend towns into the countryside and seize land back from developers who are not building houses. Mr Miliband vowed to issue compulsory purchase orders to developers who had planning permission to build on their land, but refused to do so. He said they could also be fined. John Acres, of the planning advisers Turley Associates, said the compulsory purchase order threat was "worrying". "This looks suspiciously like a 'land grab' on private developers who may have sites that are stalled through problems of viability or stymied by planning conditions - which could delay rather than deliver new housing," he said. Graeme Leach, the chief economist at the Institute of Directors, added: "The fundamental problem with the housing market is the public-sector planning system, not private-sector builders. It's hard to imagine a more statist solution to a problem caused by the state." The Mail's Alex Brummer also weighs in on the debate. He argues that giving "draconian" powers to councils to seize land from property owners is an assault on ownership rights and risks corruption. Mr Brummer also notes that Labour has failed to recognise that the best brownfield land is public sector owned, thus it would just be seizing land back from itself.