we are joined now by nathan brooker, the property editor at house and home magazine. hat are empty, that people don't want to live in for one reason or another. so what is going wrong in the housing market? that peculiar thing. it's good news that house—building has stepped up in the last year but trying to build yourself out over housing crisis is digging yourself out of a hole. you have to recognise the particular circumstances of the situation. you're right, if you go through london you will see multi—million pound homes which are empty, they've been on the market for months, perhaps the years. london is not under—supplied, it is over—supplied with homes that are too expensive. how do you stop that? before you build anything you must combat the fact that homes are too expensive. you've got to look at why land values are much more expensive in the uk than they are overseas and look at our planning system. which is incredibly political. if you green— light to many new developments you are likely to get voted out. so all of this adds cost, you've also got, some of the