The government is set to transform councils by restricting the powers of local planning committees to block housing developments.
As a company, E.R.E Property Group deal with a plethora of developers – some boutique and some large scale and everything in between. One of the main obstacles to building we see isn’t demand, isn’t financing, but planning restrictions put in place by the local councils. This makes it much harder to build the supply of housing that UK badly needs.
Housing Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner will this week announce the revolution in councils as part of a “sweeping overhaul” aimed at “unblocking the clogged-up” system.
Under the proposals those planning applications which meet local development plan housing and infrastructure targets could effectively bypass council committees, in a bid to reduce delays and giving more certainty to housebuilders.
Those applications will go straight to planning officers, who will look at technical details including whether they comply with building safety regulations.
Rayner is expected to say this week: “Building more homes and infrastructure across the country means unblocking the clogged-up planning system that serves as a chokehold on growth.
“The Government will deliver a sweeping overhaul of the creaking local planning committee system.
“Streamlining the approvals process by modernising local planning committees means tackling the chronic uncertainty and damaging delays that act as a drag anchor on building the homes people desperately need.”
The proposals are also expected to include mandatory training for councillors.
Also coming up this week is the government’s response to consultation on reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework – the document which sets out national priorities for building.
This government is expected to see make housing targets mandatory for the first time, with the aim of reaching the target of 1.5m new homes built during this Parliament.
Rayner is expected to say: “Through our Planning and Infrastructure Bill, alongside new National Planning Policy Framework and mandatory housing targets, we are taking decisive steps to accelerate building, get spades in the ground and deliver the change communities need.”
The housebuilding commitment was one of the six “milestones” the Prime Minister set last week, against which the public can measure the government’s performance.
Conclusion
This is exciting for everyone in the property industry, from the small scale to large scale house builders. However, we have heard this before so it is unclear whether we will actually see any substantial change that will make it easier for our partners in the private rental, student rental and social housing sector.
Source: Property Investor Today
