Criticises RICS' submission to the Barker review of housing supply particularly in respect of its understanding of land banks. Proposes that, faced by restrictive planning and the slowness of the plan-led system, the industry has of necessity sought to protect its future output by acquiring land in advance. Questions RICS' espousal of the ODPM's argument that land optioning holds up development, and RICS' statement that house builders prefer greenfield sites to brownfield sites. Argues that RICS' contention that estates of executive homes are more profitable than high-density apartments, is untrue. Counters the RICS view that there would have to be a sharp increase in house supply over at least a decade for increased housing to have an impact on house prices, with the view that sharp increases in house prices are inevitable because supply has been adversely constrained for a decade or more.