Focuses on planning for new housing, starting from the analysis and prescription presented by the Barker review of housing supply. Asks whether a reformed planning system is capable of responding to the challenge of the housing market crisis and to Barker's compelling arguments for a step change in housing supply? Barker pinpoints the central cause of the housing crisis as being an inadequate level of new housing supply and a particularly unresponsive housing supply system constricted by the land use planning system. Discusses Barker's recommendations for combating the faults of the system by basing planning targets for new housing numbers on affordability targets and for identifying areas for longer term growth. Concludes that the Barker analysis is right but identifies a number of obstacles still to be overcome. Graphs cover real house prices 1983-2004 (1996 prices) and outstanding planning permissions for housing per 1 000 households.