Measures announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in yesterday''s pre-budget report have been broadly welcomed by the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA).

In his address to parliament, Alistair Darling outlined a range of new measures, including a promise to meet the government''s target of building two million new homes by 2016 and reforming tax and planning systems to make life easier for householders.

Peter Bolton King, the chief executive of the NAEA, said: "We continue to support the government''s long term aims of creating and freeing up more housing, increasing homeownership through shared ownership schemes and reforming the UK''s archaic planning system."

Mr King expressed particular support for the Chancellor''s desire to expand the number and length of fixed-rate mortgages on the market, adding "it will be welcome news for homebuyers".

However, the organisation urged the government to consider "how the plight of first-time buyers and the current low confidence in the market" can be addressed in the short term and said that it will still take an "extremely long time" for the market to see the effect of the increase number of homes being built.