Plans to demolish thousands of houses in the north of England are to be reviewed after it was revealed that house prices in the area are on the rise. In response to a select committee’s concerns about the controversial housing market renewal initiative, the government has suggested that it wants to scale back the number of homes up for demolition saying pathfinder areas would have to take into account changing market conditions. Since 2002 average house prices at the cheaper end of the market in those areas have risen from £27,000 to £49,000, an increase of 81.5%. The response said: “We expect pathfinders to be able to respond to the changing market. We will examine critically the proposed balance between refurbishment, new build and demolition.” But it said: “In some areas, the only option for providing a mix of housing meeting present day expectations is to replace less desirable homes with new ones.” (The Guardian)