IEA Head of Political Economy Kristian Niemietz was referenced in The Daily Telegraph arguing that burdensome planning regulations are mainly responsible for the UK’s housing shortage, not immigration.

The article said:

“Kristian Niemietz…said concerns about the pressure of increased migration on the housing market could be resolved by a more flexible planning system.

“Pointing to examples in America, he said: ‘Net migration creates a problem, but this doesn’t have to be the case. We need a sufficiently flexible supply side.’

“Mr Niemietz said the city of Houston, Texas, has had higher rates of population growth, with virtually zero impact on house prices because it has a planning system that quickly allows for more homes to be built where needed.”

Read the full article here.

Kristian’s comments were also featured in Yahoo! and MSN.