Michael Gove is expected to deliver a speech today (Monday 24 July) that will set out measures with the goal of “unblocking the planning system”.
The focus of the speech is believed to be focusing on increasing development in urban areas, with the prime minister stating that “concreting over the countryside” was not the answer to the housing shortage.
Rishi Sunak also reaffirmed that a manifesto pledge to build a million new homes over this parliament will be kept, despite the government currently falling way short of the target of 300,000 homes per year and the scrapping of mandatory housing targets for local authorities.
Sunak said: “Our plan is to build the right homes where there is the most need and where there is local support, in the heart of Britain’s great cities… by regenerating disused brownfield land, streamlining planning process and helping homeowners to renovate and extend their houses outwards and upwards.”
Gove’s speech is expected to outline a number of proposals to tackle the planning system and boost housing numbers, including:
- The creation of a group of expert planners and other specialists to focus on unblocking major developments.
- The introduction of government-sponsored development firms to buy up land with compulsory purchase orders and sell to developers.
- Greater flexibility to convert shops and takeaways into homes, and more freedom to convert barns and farm buildings.
- Improving planning services by higher fees levied on developers
Despite the planned reforms, developers have accused the government of not going far enough to address the housing shortage as construction starts fall. The Home Builders Federation said that Gove’s plans “do little to address the major reasons why housing supply is falling”.
Stewart Baseley, executive chairman of the HBF, said: “The increasingly anti-development policy environment is driving down housing supply, taking access to decent housing out of the reach in particular of young people, costing jobs and reducing economic activity.”
“Much more decisive action is needed if the government is serious about boosting housing delivery.”
Earlier this month, the Levelling Up Committee announced that the government was on course to reach the one million homes target, although it believes that the scrapping of mandatory targets for local authorities would make the 300,000 yearly target hard to attain. This, combined with the nutrient neutrality issue enforced by Natural England has led to approved planning permissions dropping to a new low.
