This week Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick MP set out proposals to bring Britain’s planning system into the 21st Century as part of plans to get Britain building. LABM garners opinion from across the sector.
As part of the proposals councils will be encouraged to take a more innovative approach to home building — by ensuring redevelopment of high streets is housing-led, building upwards and above and around stations.
In April the Government will launch a register of brownfield sites, which will map out unused land as part of plans to encourage councils to make the most of this land first — backed by £400m to bring this mostly unused land back to use.
Developers will be able to demolish vacant commercial, industrial and residential buildings and replace them with well-designed homes without getting delayed in a lengthy planning process, under new plans being consulted on by the Government, meaning that more homes will be able to be delivered more quickly.
The Government will also review how places assess how many homes are needed in their area and incentivise those that deliver on those numbers.
All local authorities will also be required to have up-to-date Local Plans in place by December 2023, or see government intervention, so enough homes are built for their communities.
Planning White Paper
The changes come ahead of plans for an ambitious Planning White Paper — set to radically reform the planning system by speeding up the decision-making process so homes can be built quicker where they are needed the most.
Good design and place-making will be at the heart of the new system, championing tree-lined streets, a ‘fast track for beauty’ and a commitment to lower carbon emissions in all new homes — for a green revolution in housebuilding.
Housing Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP commented: “I want everyone, no matter where they live, to have access to affordable, safe, quality housing and live in communities with a real sense of place — as part of our mission to level up, unite and unleash the potential of this country.
“We must think boldly and creatively about the planning system to make it fit for the future, and this is just the first step, so we can deliver the homes communities need and help more young people onto the ladder.”
HBA cites planning proposals as a positive first step
The House Builders Association says whilst there is still long way to go, this a great first step and welcomed news. Rico Wojtulewicz, Head of Housing and Planning at the HBA, said: “After five years of asking the Government to build within communities, map brownfield land, digitise planning and ensure actual housing need is being met, these and other announcements prove that the Government is listening to the wider industry. We have a long way to go but this a great first step and welcomed news.”
NFB says smaller builders must benefit from the reforms
Richard Beresford, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Builders (NFB), added: “Planning reform has been a long time coming and we’re grateful that it has been taken seriously. As the major rural employers, apprentice trainers and local investors, smaller builders must benefit greatly from reforms and we look forward to working with the Government on ensuring this happens.”
FMB welcomes proposals to digitise and simplify planning
Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), said: “The current planning system is a major barrier for small housebuilders, so the announcement that it will be brought into the 21st Century through digitisation and simplification is a victory for common sense.
“I’m pleased to learn that the Secretary of State will engage particularly with small to medium-sized (SME) housebuilders to ensure the new system works for them. Key to increasing the volume and quality of new homes coming through is reversing the decline in small housebuilders.”
Brian continued: “That the Government has also made the decision to intervene in local authorities’ plan-making processes by setting a 2023 deadline to update their local plans is helpful. A recent Public Accounts Committee report found that fewer than half of local authorities had an up-to-date local plan, which goes to show that inaction is hampering housing numbers.
“More detail is needed in terms of how local authorities plan to provide a good quality service to SMEs. While linking fees to performance and offering rebates to developers is a step in the right direction, local authorities need support to get the basics right. That means a dedicated phone number where house builders can get through to someone, the ability to arrange meetings that don’t cost an arm and a leg, and regular, good-quality communication.”
Planning not a barrier to housebuilding says LGA
Not everybody sees planning as the main barrier to housebuilding. Responding to the planning proposals Cllr David Renard, Local Government Association Planning Spokesman, said: “It is vital that the Government does not take away more of the powers councils and communities need over planning developments in their local area.
“The planning system is not a barrier to housebuilding. It gives protection to communities so they can ensure new developments are environmentally-friendly, safe, supported by the right infrastructure and include affordable homes.
“Council planning departments work hard to approve nine in 10 planning applications as quickly as possible with the number of permissions granted for new homes doubling since 2012. However, taxpayers are still having to subsidise a £180m annual bill to cover the cost of processing applications, which is why councils need to be able to set their own planning fees.
“Permissions granted are outstripping the number of homes being built with more than a million homes having been given planning permission in the last decade remaining unbuilt or unfinished.
“If we are to build the right homes we need as a nation and in the right places, the planning system needs to be protected and councils must be able to resume their historic role as major builders of affordable homes. They need powers to take action on unbuilt land which has planning permission and a reformed Right to Buy system which allows councils to replace sold homes and set discounts locally.”
RTPI applauds world-class ambitions for planning but raises concerns about extending PDRs
Government plans to put good design and placemaking at the heart of a reformed planning system have been welcomed by the Royal Town Planning Institute. Reacting to the announcement, Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Chief Executive Victoria Hills said: “We are delighted that the Government intends to take forward many of the recommendations in the recent Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission report, which was clear about the crucial role played by the planning profession in placemaking.
“We are also pleased that the National Model Design Code will be used to set out clear parameters for promoting the design and style of homes and neighbourhoods that local people want to see, resulting in standards that are embedded in planning policy.
“More broadly, the ‘infrastructure first’ approach taken throughout recognizes how crucial planning is in delivering on key housing commitments. The recognition of the need to ensure adequate funding for planning through a review of the fee structure is something we have long campaigned for and is to be welcomed.
“Overall we applaud the ambition to create a world-class planning service. We have long recognised that the expertise of UK planners is widely acclaimed internationally.”
However, Victoria was less positive about the use of permitted development rights (PDRs), which Mr Jenrick said would be extended by the summer to encourage councils and developers to take a more innovative approach to home building.
Victoria said: “The RTPI has long-standing concerns with the extension of permitted development rights which we feel will encourage a piecemeal, short-term approach. Extended PDRs risk poorly designed and inappropriately located housing and will make it more difficult for communities to have a say on development. It will also result in diminished developer contributions through application fees, which go towards affordable housing and infrastructure.
“One encouraging change from when these proposals were first mooted last year is that the governments says that new residential units should be ‘well-designed’ and meet natural light standards.
“I will be meeting with the Housing Minister Christopher Pincher next week and am looking forward to discussing PDRs in more detail then.”
District Councils’ Network says housing delivery system broken, not planning
Cllr Mark Crane, District Councils’ Network Lead Member for Stronger Economies, added: “Reforming planning fees is an opportunity to resolve the significant under-resourcing of council planning teams. We believe councils should be able to set these locally to cover the cost of processing applications.
“We are clear however that endless meddling with the planning system will not tackle the housing crisis and build much-needed homes.
“We have significant concerns with proposals to extend permitted development rights for upward extensions so that developers can avoid paying what they owe for local infrastructure and for local affordable homes.
“Districts continue to grant nine in 10 planning permissions, while tens of thousands of homes with planning permission remain unbuilt — the housing delivery system is broken, not the planning system.
“Councils need to be given the powers to build homes again, including allowing them to keep the receipts of Right to Buy sales in full.”
Green Belt reform and emphasis on placemaking welcomed by RICS UK
Hew Edgar, Head of RICS UK Government Relations & City Strategy, commented: “It seems planning rules change nearly as often as Housing Ministers but RICS is grateful the Government has listened to us on reforming the Green Belt to allow previously developed land near transport hubs to be used to build new homes as well as including RICS’ long called for ask for the requirement of placemaking in the National Planning Policy Framework.
“But it’s bizarre, given their net zero commitment, that the Government is proposing to make it easier to demolish existing buildings — rather than retrofitting them with the latest technology — it isn’t green or sustainable for our planet and something Ministers have been repeatedly told.
“The property sector awaits the long promised Planning White Paper, as the devil will be in its detail, but firms do need long-term certainty to get shovels in the ground but moving the goalposts so often is inhibiting delivery.”
Good design, greener homes and sustainable placemaking focus welcomed by UKGBC
John Alker, Director of Policy and Places at the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) said: “As we have seen from the recent Housing Audit project, sadly the majority of new housing does not achieve the standards required to address the environmental or social challenges we face. It is vital that quantity goes hand in hand with quality, a point, which appears to have been acknowledged in the announcement.
“The focus on involving communities in the design process is positive. However, this must be a genuinely collaborative process between developers, designers and communities — drawing on the expertise of professionals, and meeting the needs of all parts of local communities in order to create greater social value. We await further details with interest.
“It is encouraging to see the recognition that new homes are vital to meeting our net zero carbon target. However, the more ambitious carbon reduction requirements need to be accompanied with minimum energy efficiency standards, ensuring we reduce the amount of energy used in the first place.
“We also welcome the strong emphasis on the role of nature in good design, including the promotion of tree-lined streets. Nature-based, good quality design is a win-win — addressing biodiversity decline and ensuring we have beautiful places that are future-proofed against a changing climate. To that end, measures to review building on flood plains are also extremely important.”
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