The government must go beyond its initial planning reforms if it is serious about tackling the housing crisis and using the property sector to drive economic growth, a senior figure at Carter Jonas has warned ahead of the Labour Party Conference.
Francis Truss (main picture, inset), a partner at the property consultancy, says measures such as the release of “grey belt” land and the reintroduction of mandatory housing targets were welcome but “far from sufficient” to deliver the volume of new homes required.
He points to London as a case study in the difficulties facing developers, citing figures from the Home Builders Federation showing housing completions in the capital fell by 12% in the year to June 2025, while approvals of new residential schemes dropped to their lowest level since records began in 2006.
“Affordable housing requirements, new levies, changing building regulations and biodiversity net gain can cumulatively tip schemes from viable to unviable,” Truss warns.
LACK OF INFRASTRUCTURE
And he adds: “The GLA has recognised this and is beginning to reduce planning gain requirements. National government may need to respond in a similar way.”
He says that larger schemes were being routinely delayed by a lack of infrastructure funding.
“As the government pursues its new towns agenda, mobilising and incentivising private finance in a more concerted way is essential, otherwise the ambition of 12 new towns will remain just that,” he says
FIRST-TIME BUYER SUPPORT
Truss also highlights slow sales rates as a brake on delivery, calling for more support for first-time buyers and measures to replace the demand lost from landlords exiting the buy-to-let market.
On biodiversity net gain, he says that while the principle was widely accepted, pinch points in the planning system meant implementation was slowing projects.
He urges Defra to ensure ecologists, planners and surveyors worked together to streamline the process and provide greater clarity on costs earlier in development.
POSITIVE MESSAGING
Finally, he wants the Chancellor to “recognise the importance of positive messaging,” warning that recent property tax announcements had risked “talking down the market at precisely the moment when confidence is needed.”
“The government is right to see the property sector as a powerful engine for growth,” Truss says. “But pragmatic reform and political understanding are vital if the sector is to deliver the homes, communities and growth the country needs.”
