Local Labour plans may compel councils to construct infrastructure in 'grey belt' areas.
In a bid to increase housing supply, the new planning rules proposed by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner are causing controversy, particularly with regards to green belt sites and housebuilding targets. While Rayner asserts that new town homes will contribute towards local housing needs, there are doubts about whether they will be treated as additional or substitutive to existing targets.
Under the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, the government is reviewing whether homes from new towns could count towards local housing need targets, potentially reversing earlier commitments. This could significantly impact overall housebuilding figures and how councils plan to meet housing demand.
The legal challenge led by environmental campaigners, Wild Justice, argues that the bill weakens existing environmental safeguards, including potential green belt protections. The outcome of this legal challenge, scheduled for a High Court hearing in November 2025, will be significant.
The government, on the other hand, defends Rayner's statement that the bill does not reduce environmental protections, citing parliamentary privilege.
Meanwhile, the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) requires local authorities to build more homes. The locations for the new towns will be announced in the next 12 months. In the North West, housing targets have risen from 21,500 to just under 38,000, while in the East they have risen from 35,000 to almost 45,000.
The lack of housing suitable for seniors is a pressing issue in the UK. Approximately two-thirds of over-65s have at least two empty spare bedrooms in their homes, equating to nine million empty bedrooms every night. If more suitable senior living was available, many seniors would move to smaller properties, freeing up larger properties and impacting the housing market.
The appointment of Sir Michael Lyons to the New Towns Taskforce, a project aimed at constructing new towns, is a significant development. Lyons, who chaired a 2014 Labour inquiry into boosting homebuilding, will lead this project.
Adrian Plant, director of SOWN, finds the plans encouraging but disappointing due to the omission of shared ownership from recent announcements. Plant believes that shared ownership does not necessarily require government subsidy but needs government support through policy and marketing. However, the wording on shared ownership remains unchanged in the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), according to Plant, representing a lack of understanding and appreciation in shared ownership.
The new Labour government has set a target of 370,000 new homes per year. The news of Rayner's new planning policy comes alongside the appointment of Sir Michael Lyons to the New Towns Taskforce. Housing experts have expressed their opinions on the changes in plans, but specific reactions are not provided in the text.
If local authorities fail to create a plan for increased housing, ministers have the right to take over. London has experienced a reduction in its housing target, dropping from nearly 100,000 to 80,000.
In summary, Rayner's new planning rules aim to increase housing supply but face criticism and legal opposition over potential environmental degradation, particularly concerning green belt protections and the recalibration of housebuilding targets to possibly include new town developments. The future of these plans, along with the fate of the green belts and the housing market, remains uncertain.
- The new Planning and Infrastructure Bill under review by the government could potentially count homes from new towns towards local housing need targets, which may affect housing policies and housing market statistics.
- Amidst the debate over the new Planning Policy, the government's target for building 370,000 new homes per year remains a significant goal, with Sir Michael Lyons' appointment to the New Towns Taskforce being a key development in meeting this ambition.
