The property sector has got used to watching George Osborne very carefully as on more than one occasion he has used housing to win him votes or pay for other areas of spending – the election promise to remove inheritance tax on million-pound houses being a good example.

On to more solid ground, in this year’s budget the property market did get a number of boosts, most notably the Help to Buy ISA.

First-time buyers who choose to save through a Help to Buy ISA will receive a government bonus, which will be calculated and paid when they buy their first home.

While the announcement of the Help to Buy ISA appeals directly to first time buyers, it is certainly not the seismic shift of last December’s Stamp Duty announcement.

From a house building perspective, much of the Budget focused on measures in London and devolving powers to the Mayor of London – although the announcement of the first 20 housing zones outside London includes Wakefield.

The Budget did, however, launch the consultation into improving the compulsory purchase process with the aim of bringing forward more brownfield land for development. The consultation closes on June 9, 2015.

And the pathway to fracking also got a boost in the Budget with proposals to consult on bringing planning notification arrangements for deep geothermal planning in line with those for onshore oil and gas planning applications.

This will mean that geothermal companies will not have to notify landowners individually about planning applications to undertake geothermal activities beneath their land.

There were smaller announcements making it easier for an individual to sub-let a room in private residential rented accommodation and to rent out car parking spaces without requiring planning permission, provided there are no substantive planning concerns.

Ultimately, however, building more houses will make housing more affordable.