<p>Chancellor Alistair Darling has announced a package of measures to boost the housebuilding industry in today's Budget.</p> <p>In addition to raising the stamp duty threshold to £250,000 for first time buyers, he has also put in place a requirement for local authorities to maintain a five year supply of deliverable, viable housing land as well as proposals to reduce the regulatory burden on housing development.</p> <p>"This Budget is a huge boost to both home buyers and the housebuilding industry," said HBF executive chairman Stewart Baseley. "I am pleased the government has recognised the importance of ensuring that people are able to buy homes. The steps taken today can only help reduce the social and economic impact of the housing crisis we have in this country and will also sustain many thousands of jobs in the industry and wider economy."</p> <p>The HBF said it was very pleased that the new system on viable land will put the onus on local authorities to prove to the satisfaction of the government that they have a five year supply. The HBF also welcomed the focus on reducing the regulatory burden on housing development, arguing that the viability of many housing sites is threatened by …