We have a new government and congratulations to Labour.
The new Labour government has indicated it will bring several changes to the town planning system. Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced major planning reforms to "get Britain building again" in her first speech at the Treasury. She emphasised the government's commitment to economic growth and increasing housing supply, aiming to build 1.5 million homes in five years. Here are some key areas where changes are expected:
1. National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF):
- Restoring mandatory local housing targets.
- Ending the ban on onshore wind in England and taking such decisions into the NSIP regime.
- Prioritizing energy projects.
- A new NPPF is to be published for consultation by the end of July.
2. Housing Initiatives:
- Creating a taskforce to accelerate stalled housing sites, starting with 14,000 homes at Liverpool Central Docks; Worcestershire Parkway; Northstowe and Langley Sutton Coldfield
- Reviewing greenbelt boundaries to build on low-quality greenbelt land.
3. Planning Decision Making:
- Increased weight on the "benefit of development" on ‘called-in’ planning decisions.
- Hiring 300 new planning officers in local authorities.
We may see more direct intervention from central government into planning decisions, particularly those which offer a substantial level of housing. Given that local planning authorities are struggling to determine applications within the statutory timescales, the recruitment of 300 new planning officers is welcomed, although we note that this equates to less than one new officer per local authority.
While the new government puts much emphasis on the use of ‘grey’ sites within the Green Belt, there is a question over how much land this will actually provide. Knight Frank estate agency has undertaken an analysis which has identified 11,000 potential sites – this makes up less than 1% of the existing green belt, which could accommodate 100,000 to 200,000 homes, just a small proportion of the 1.5m target (https://www.knightfrank.com/research/article/2024-01-26-how-can-britains-grey-belt-boost-housing-numbers).
Conversely, a report by Lichfields found that if brownfield sites within towns and cities in England were built to full capacity, this would provide 1.4 million extra homes (https://lichfields.uk/content/insights/banking-on-brownfield).
We also note the purpose of the Green Belt is not specifically to protect ‘green’ land, it is to stop urban sprawl. Opponents to the use of the Green Belt point out that building on it, whether on 'green' or 'grey' sites, could result in more car-based developed in unsustainable locations.
In relation to affordable homes, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner promised “the biggest boost to affordable, social and council housing for a generation”. Labour’s manifesto has promised to do this through “strengthening planning obligations” to ensure new developments provide a bigger proportion of affordable homes. However, it is likely that this will need to be supported by housing associations and councils building homes, rather than relying on the private sector house builders to deliver an increased proportion of affordable homes.