Following his recent report on the state of the housing market, Sir Michael Lyons has said he believes the Church of England and supermarkets can make a big impact the drive to solve the housing crisis.


According to Construction News, after the publication of the Lyons Housing Review, Sir Michael Lyons said the country’s larger landholders should be encouraged to use their land banks to become housing developers.


He went on to say: “Tesco and Sainsbury’s, for instance, have started commissioning houses above their metro supermarkets. What’s to stop the Church of England [from doing the same] with its landholdings?”


“I’m not suggesting that all of a sudden Sainsbury’s just becomes a housebuilder or that the Church of England gives up its work and just becomes a housebuilder, but they can contribute.”


This intervention follows Tesco’s announcement in summer that they plan to deliver some 4,000 homes by 2017 as par tof a £1bn programme.


In July, supermarket giant Tesco revealed it was working on plans to deliver more than 4,000 homes on its landbank by 2017 as part of a £1bn housing programme.


“If you don’t have to buy the land, you can get the infrastructure built much more easily,” he said.