The government has confirmed that binding targets will be introduced to compel local authorities to achieve the target of 370,000 homes a year as part of its revised National Planning Policy Framework.
Local councils will have 12 weeks from today (12/12) to ensure that their local plans are compliant with the updated NPPF, which, as expected, reintroduces mandatory housing targets, requires a review of the current green belt and increases the length of time for which authorities must demonstrate a housing land supply.
Prime minister Keir Starmer has said that his government “owes it to working families to take urgent action” as he announced with the housing secretary the how much each area must build during the government’s tenure.
Keir Starmer said: “For far too long, working people graft hard but are denied the security of owning their own home. With a generation of young people whose dream of home ownership feels like a distant reality, and record levels of homelessness, there’s no shying away from the housing crisis we have inherited.”
“We owe it to those working families to take urgent action, and that is what this government is doing. Our Plan for Change will put builders not blockers first, overhaul the broken planning system and put roofs over the heads of working families and drive the growth that will put more money in people’s pockets.”
As well as a return to mandatory targets, which will see a rise in housing delivery targets for towns and rural areas, the new NPPF reaffirmed the government’s commitment to a brownfield-first approach. Local authorities will also be asked to reexamine their green belt designations to determine whether any can be classed as ‘grey belt’ and therefore potentially suitable for development.
Labour’s ‘grey belt’ plan has been present since the build up to the General Election, but has now been defined with the release of the revised NPPF as previously developed green belt land that does not “check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas” or “prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another” or “preserve the setting and special character of historic towns”. Grey Belt also “excludes land where the application of the policies relating to the areas or assets… would provide a strong reason for refusing or restricting development.”
It has been suggested that the newly-coined ‘grey belt’ could total an area the size of Surrey.
Angela Rayner said: “Today’s landmark overhaul will sweep away last year’s damaging changes and shake up a broken planning system which caves into the blockers and obstructs the builders.”
“I will not hesitate to do what it takes to build 1.5m new homes over five years and deliver the biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.”
There is concern amongst local authorities, however, with a spokesperson for the Local Government Association stating that local authorities should be involved with setting local and regional targets.
Adam Hug said: “For councils to share the government’s ambition to tackle local housing challenges, there must be a collaborative approach. It is councils and communities who know their local areas and are therefore best placed to make judgment decisions on how to manage competing demand for land use through the local plan-led system.”
The government will also prioritise social and affordable homes, although industry insiders warn that billions of pounds of grant funding under the Affordable Housing Programme would be needed to achieve this. The level of funding will be announced by the chancellor next year.
The NPPF will set out individual targets for each planning authority. Following a consultation earlier this year, ministers included proposals to cut the targets for London and other cities, which gained some criticism from the industry.
