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Building on inner city sites will be ‘turbocharged’ under a government push to provide more homes, an initiative to be led by PM Rishi Sunak.
Planning rules are to be given a major shake-up to ensure local councils allow more ‘brownfield’ development such as derelict and unused buildings, the Prime Minister announced.
Less red tape
Every council in England will be told they need to prioritise brownfield building, with less red tape and more flexibility in applying policies that currently prevent housebuilding.
The bar for refusing brownfield plans will also be made much higher for those big city councils who are failing to hit their locally agreed housebuilding targets.
Up to 11,500 more homes could be created in London under the plans, the Government claims.
‘Rocket boosters’
There is poor housing delivery in the capital the Government says, so it is “putting rocket boosters” under brownfield regeneration projects.
Legislation laid in Parliament will extend current permitted development rights, so that commercial buildings of any size will have the freedom to be converted into new homes.
The government is also launching a consultation on proposals that would see more new extensions or large loft conversions “freed from the arduous process of receiving planning permission”.
The changes announced today will deliver the right mix of homes across England.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says: “We pledged to build the right homes in the right places – protecting our precious countryside and building more in urban areas where demand is highest.
“We are sticking to our plan and are on track to meet our commitment to deliver one million homes over the course of this Parliament, and the changes announced today will deliver the right mix of homes across England.”
‘Heard it before’
Jeremy Leaf
Jeremy Leaf, north London estate agent and a former RICS residential chairman, says: “There are many aspects of these proposals which are welcome, such as concentration on increasing supply and recognition of the importance of addressing affordable housing shortages, particularly on brownfield land.
“However, sadly we have heard much of it before without seeing much difference on the ground.”
Strict timetable
There must be a strict timetable for delivery and consequences of failure for local authorities who do not meet realistic planning and infrastructure targets, he says.
“Local people want to know what impact these measures will have in their areas before and after, otherwise they will probably go the way of past attempts at dealing with this increasingly serious housing crisis.”
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