Without a massive expansion of the housing stock, prices will continue to rise and the pressure on planning laws and infrastructure will become increasingly difficult to manage. As a result we face a question that concerns every resident of Britain, and which must be addressed with true public spirit: how we should build. As the Government embarks on a programme of affordable building for first-time buyers, then, it is reassuring to note that a "design panel" of experts, including the architect Sir Terry Farrell, is being appointed to address exactly that issue.