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  Andrew - the Council does not own the land so cant sell it. Developers will only buy from the owners when they see the potential of a return on it and that depends on demand.
  
  Think about it - the law of supply and demand. Build a whole lot of houses without potential buyers and it has cost you a fortune as your asset sits there unsold, while you pay the costs of borrowing to buy and develop. Businesses who misjudge that go bust. A developer will only respond to how he sees the demand and when he can sell. People wanting to buy will depend on them wanting to move here and that, up to a point, depends on work availability. Remember also that the economy is weak and it will take a long time for demand to lift.
  
  One thing that may happen. While costs are low some developers may buy up land ready and lease it back to the farmers until the market is right to build (the rent covering the borrowing costs). They could then progressively over many years release parcels of land for building gradually. There would some risk to that of course and developers may or may not be in a position to finance this given how badly they have been hit recently. The whole point is it is not all done at once.

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