<b>The recent impressive set of interim results from housebuilding plcs have added fuel to suggestions that the industry is deliberately restricting supply by holding massive land banks. &amp;“Absolute rubbish&amp;” is the typical industry retort. Steve Menary looks at the issue</b><br><b>Are housebuilders sitting on land to make money on rising prices? A whispering campaign has suggested exactly this, arguing that restricted supply is fuelling the profits of the big housebuilders, prompting them to hold ever longer land banks to further push up prices. But the housebuilding industry denies this, pointing out that figures are being misinterpreted and that much of the land held by firms is many years away from being available for development and that as a long term strategy restricted supply is bad for the industry.</b><br><b>robust response</b><br>The response of David Wilson, chairman and chief executive of Wilson Bowden, to the suggestion of land banking is typical. <p></p><p>&amp;“Absolute rubbish. I just don&amp;’t believe it,&amp;” he says. &amp;“I&amp;’ve talked to lots of housebuilders and I don&amp;’t know of one that&amp;’s not desperately awaiting planning consents.&amp;”</p><p>Bovis chief executive Malcolm Harris agrees: &amp;“If you ask every major housebuilder, they have all their sites in production. No-one is sitting on sites with consent.&amp;”</p><p>This seems …