All councils in England are to be given new, mandatory housing targets to pave the way to deliver 1.5 million more homes – tackling the most acute housing crisis in living memory, the Government announced yesterday.
The new targets will mean councils must boost housebuilding in areas most in need, helping more people buy their own homes, removing the largest barriers to economic growth, and getting Britain building again.
Angela Rayner, Deputy Prime MinisterDeputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has written to every council Leader and Chief Executive in England to make clear that there is “not just a professional responsibility but a moral obligation to see more homes built”, and that she will not hesitate to use her powers of intervention should it be necessary – including taking over an authority’s plan making directly.
She says: “Our decisive reforms to the planning system correct the errors of the past and set us on our way to tackling the housing crisis, delivering 1.5 million homes for those who really need them.
“And something I am personally proud of, our new flexibilities for councils will boost the number of social and affordable homes, and give working families a better route to a secure home.”
BALANCED MIX
Nathan Emerson, PropertymarkNathan Emerson, chief executive of agency trade body Propertymark, says: “Propertymark is keen to work closely with the new UK Government to help ensure a balanced mix of housing is delivered across the next parliamentary term and beyond.
“Ensuring sustainable homes are delivered in key areas is paramount for the economy and it’s encouraging to hear Angela Rayner’s commit to an in ‘infrastructure first’ approach, and one that focuses on making full use of available brownfield and grey belt land where possible first.
“Propertymark has long called for an enhanced housing strategy to be developed and one that can deliver for generations to come, so it’s positive to hear this will become an integrated ambition moving forwards.
“It is essential housing supply has seamless continuity and keeps pace with demand, so the return of mandatory housing targets and a commitment to building a mixture of housing becomes a reality.
“Ultimately, future direction to deliver the 1.5m new homes promised must be driven by robust insight and delivered with precision with via close stakeholder engagement.”
Simon Gerrard, Martyn Gerrard Estate AgentsSimon Gerrard, managing director of Martyn Gerrard Estate Agents, adds: “A vital part of meeting housing targets, and of providing homes where they are most needed, will be fixing the permitted development right system.
“Under the Conservatives, these rules that were meant to more easily allow additional homes to be built in densely populated areas became nothing but an endless frustration for housebuilders.
“This is in large part due to a High Court ruling that gave local planning authorities carte blanche to block any new homes on purely subjective grounds.
“If a development were deemed ‘too tall’ or as ‘not fitting into the street scene’, it would not be built. This ruling must be overturned if we are to have a hope of providing new homes where they are most desperately needed, and I urge the government to go further in their efforts.
“Indeed, the entire culture that seems to exist within local planning authorities of being inherently against new development needs to change. Mandating housing targets is a good place to start, but the Labour government must show strength where the Conservatives couldn’t.
“I have experienced first-hand the lack of cohesion that exists within local planning bodies, where applications go back and forth endlessly to try and appease every person who has a say in how a development should be built. Inevitably, a consensus can’t be reached, and the application is rejected.
“The Labour government must demonstrate effective leadership to keep local authorities aligned with their mandate to act in favour of development.”
Colin Brown, Head of Planning & Development at Carter Jonas, says: “We welcome the thrust of the Deputy Prime Minister’s announcement today on planning reform.
“In particular, we support the return of mandatory housing targets and the emphasis on delivery in areas where affordability issues are at their most acute.
“It is positive to see that local authorities will be obliged to deliver the housing that is needed in their areas, and while we support the fact that they can decide how to do this, we are pleased to see they will not have the ability to duck the issue simply because they choose to.
“We also welcome the determination to deliver sustainable patterns of development, and to carry out a strategic review of the Green Belt in the many instances where there is insufficient brownfield land or non-Green Belt greenfield land in order to achieve the housing targets.
“We look forward to studying and further understanding the definition and approach to the so-called Grey Belt, but firmly believe there will be a need for balanced Green Belt releases to attempt to meet the highly ambitious housing targets.”
