Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities announced his long term plan for housing with a commitment to building more homes; “more quickly, more beautifully and more sustainably”.
Michael Gove believes that the best way to deliver these aims is through a reformed planning system. There is a need for up to date local plans as he believes this is the only way that local authorities can deliver for communities, protect the land and assets that matter most, and create the conditions for more homes to be delivered.
He states that by having these plans in situ, it unlocks land for:
- homes;
- hospitals;
- GP centres;
- schools;
- power grid connections;
This will then, according to Gove, lay the foundations for future economic growth and the development of communities. Gove is adamant that:
“Too many local authorities have no up-to date plan, too many take too long to get their plan in place and too many plans do not deliver as they should. Even when plans are in place, too many local authorities take too long to determine applications, too many reject proposals which are in line with their policies, and officers’ recommendations, and too many fail to ensure a proper pipeline of housing delivery.”
Gove believes that where there are no plans in place (or plans which are in effective), it is the communities which are impacted the most, as they are unprotected from speculative development. This mean that whilst houses are still potentially being built, too often they are in inappropriate locations, built far too slowly, and often lack the right infrastructure or community assets.
“That serves no-one well. Communities do not have control. Developers do not have certainty. Homes for the next generation do not get built at the rate, or in the locations, we need.”
Gove states that the Government today has a “coherent, holistic, long-term reform programme” to ensure that these plans are suitably delivered over the coming years.
The full speech can be found here.
