Housebuilding around well-connected train and tram stations will be given a default “yes” under sweeping planning reforms designed to accelerate development and help deliver the government’s target of 1.5 million new homes.
The measures, to be set out in an upcoming revision of the National Planning Policy Framework, would give developers far greater certainty when bringing forward schemes near major transport links.
The government argues the approach will unlock tens of thousands of homes in towns and cities, reduce commuting times and support local labour markets.
Local authorities in England will be required to notify the Housing Secretary if they intend to reject housing schemes of 150 units or more. Ministers will hold a strengthened power of intervention – particularly in cases where councils vote against the recommendations of their own planning officers.
FASTER DECISIONS
Decisions called in by the department will also be accelerated, with mandatory inquiry requirements removed in favour of written representations where appropriate.
Housing Secretary Steve Reed (main picture, inset) says the reforms are aimed at “spades in the ground” and cutting through planning delays.
He adds: “It has to be the right homes in the right places and nearby transport links are a vital part of that.
“We’re making it easier to build well-connected and high-quality homes, using stronger powers to speed things up if councils drag their feet.”
MINIMUM DENSITY STANDARDS
The reforms also propose minimum housing density standards around transport hubs – standards ministers expect many schemes to exceed – as part of efforts to focus growth in sustainable, infrastructure-rich locations.
In a significant shift, the default approval regime would apply even to certain areas within the Green Belt, reflecting the government’s view that land designated decades ago must be reassessed in light of modern economic needs.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves says the changes aew part of a wider strategy to end “years of dither and delay”, adding that the new approach would “connect people with jobs and opportunities closer to where they live”.
The package includes further attempts to streamline the planning system, with proposals to reduce statutory consultations by up to 40%.
Sport England, The Gardens Trust and Theatres Trust could be removed from the list of bodies automatically consulted on planning applications, in a move intended to cut costs and speed decisions.
The reforms build on the launch of Platform4, the government-backed property company tasked with unlocking 40,000 homes on brownfield land near railway stations, with early sites identified in Newcastle and Manchester. Further announcements to accelerate housebuilding are expected before the end of the year.
COMMON-SENSE THINKING
Andrew Teacher, Co-founder of Lauder Teacher and an Independent Property Analyst, says: “This is more common-sense thinking from MHCLG, but for this to have a meaningful impact on growth during this Parliament, ministers will need to be very clear that the sorts of tall buildings and dense massing typically opposed by councils will now be allowed at the first hurdle, and that the months of bureaucratic back and forth with all sorts of vested interests will be shredded in a bonfire of bat-box buffoonery.
“Above all, though, planning alone is not going to fix the problem. Fixing the problem will require common-sense thinking on building regulation and a reality check around the levels of tax and affordable housing levied on new developments.
“Recent changes proposed as the Treasury and MHCLG seek to knock some sense into the Mayor of London are welcome, but they do not go far enough and will not overturn the supply crunch the country is facing, particularly in London, where the fall-off in development has been more severe than at any time since the global financial crisis.”
NEW PLANNING RULES
And he adds: “Equally, planning authorities in many cities often respond negatively to these developments not out of spite or malice but because local people, or rather highly vocal minorities, play the system to stop things happening out of personal interest.
“A way to avert this is to ensure that the many people who do not really care, or do not oppose things, can also play a role.
“This can be done through new technology, data and online surveys, and these should form a statutory part of the planning process so that it is not simply about typical NIMBYs.
“It makes perfect sense for more strategic development to be centralised, and to any of those people who say it is undemocratic, they should refer themselves to plans set out in the last Labour manifesto, which were very clear about housebuilding, energy transition and building the critical infrastructure this country needs. We cannot let local politics or vocal minorities undermine this.”
