Michael Gove has pledged today to get tougher on councils he feels are failing to enable housebuilding at the necessary level.
In a speech delivered at the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Housing Secretary, Michael Gove announced reforms that try to juggle speeding up the planning process whilst ensuring communities still approve of proposed development.
Part of this plan sees Michael pledge to ‘get tough with councils’ that he feels are failing to enable housebuilding to develop satisfactorily.
Research that has been commissioned by the National Housing Federation and Shelter has found that 340,000 homes need to be supplied every year in England, with close to half of those built needing to be deemed affordable.
The Housing Secretary, in his speech, warned councils that those who blocked legitimate development could see their planning powers removed.
Councils are to be given a deadline of just three months to plan their project housing scope and what is necessary to meet desired aims and targets. For councils that fail to meet this short deadline, development could simply be imposed on their local areas.
The Secretary of State, added that any councils that are deemed to be performing poorly regarding housebuilding will face interventions from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with league tables showing how local authorities are performing on their housebuilding targets.
“That is why today I am issuing a direction to seven of the worst authorities in terms of plan making who have failed to not just adopt a plan, but even submit one for examination since 2004.”
Whilst it is clear that there is significantly tightened central control over local planning, there are going to be some flexibilities awarded to councils under proposed exemptions in the new policy framework.
One exemption will be that development can be blocked if the character of an area would be altered significantly. 180 local authorities will receive £40 million to help them build more houses and outlined that there are five central points for winning back development, “beauty, infrastructure, democracy, the environment and neighbourhood”.
Another element to the new planning framework delivered in the speech today would see brownfield sites prioritised, with further details on this coming in 2024.
Roger Mortlock, CEO of CPRE, commented:
“We need a brownfield-first policy with teeth, coupled with targets on social-rent homes to deliver genuinely affordable homes close to where people live, work and go to school. Our research shows that 1.2 million new homes could be built on brownfield land. We believe at least 60% of all new housing should be targeted on brownfield land and the government has missed the opportunity to set a meaningful target to deliver this.”
There are some areas which are to receive particular focus, such as Cambridge and London.
London has been singled out, as the Government believe Mayor, Sadiq Khan has not met building aims, and a letter has been sent from Mr Gove stating that he has commissioned an independent review of the London build plan.
Michael Gove, during his speech, was clear on his thoughts regarding City Hall planning powers. He said:
“If you cannot do what is needed to deliver the homes that London needs, I will.”
In direct response, Sadiq Khan replied on X (formerly twitter):
“Oh dear.. the Tories are desperately trying to distract from their catastrophic housing record.”
Despite the tossling between political parties, the New Planning Framework has been welcomed by some in the profession.
Roger Mortlock, added:
“CPRE welcomes the changes to policy on five-year land supply as current policies have done little or nothing to provide the genuinely affordable homes needed to tackle the housing crisis. Speculative development has wreaked havoc in our countryside, bypassed local democracy and led to unsustainable, unaffordable, car-dependent executive homes. It’s right to say that we can build the homes we need and protect the countryside and valuable farmland and nature around our cities at the same time.”
Propertymark has welcomed the measures delivered today, with regards to speeding up the planning process but believes there “needs to be more of an infrastructure first approach to deliver the homes that the country desperately need”.
Timothy Douglas, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Propertymark, said:
“A renewed focus on councils having local plans and more pressure to deliver much needed new homes for people to rent and buy will be welcomed by Propertymark members up and down the country. However, often local plans don’t deliver for existing residents and fail to deliver improved transport links, schools and medical centres as well as focus enough on building housing for an ageing population and homes that are net zero. An infrastructure first approach is needed, alongside providing more resources to local authorities, to deliver the UK Government’s reforms and build homes that the country desperately needs and communities where people want to live and work.”
However, the negatives are also being flagged by those in the profession, with concerns being raised about the reduction in the number of homes being built as well as the increasing house prices making purchasing your own home even harder for some.
Rob Hailstone, CEO and Founder of Bold Group, commented:
“Although this policy has some positives, the removal of housing targets for local authorities will have a negative effect on delivery of new homes and not help keep property prices from escalating, making life even more difficult for first time buyers.
Not only will this policy reduce the number of homes being built, it will also reduce the number of affordable homes, including much needed shared ownership properties and homes to rent.”
The Conservative Party appear to feel more positive regarding the plan and the potential over the next 5 year. The Minister of State for Housing, Lee Rowley, told GBNews:
“We have made good progress, we’re getting 240,000 houses a year being built but they’ve got to be built in the right places.
So, there’s always a balance in making sure that happens. So, we’re still building more houses, and we’re building the houses the country needs, but they’ve got to be built in the right places and we’re working with communities to do that. The Conservatives have got a good track record in building houses. We built more houses in the last 13 years than under the Labour Party between 1997 and 2010. But the vital point is where people tell me in my constituency, we don’t mind more houses, we just want them in the right places.
And so, we’re trying to work with local communities to ensure that happens and to make sure that when the houses are built, they work with a character or an area. They don’t just look like they’ve been dropped into an area no matter what. So, it’s about striking the right balance but we’re really clear. We need more houses and the Labour Party and others who have blocked the building of more houses through things like the nutrient neutrality rules just a few months ago in Parliament.
They’ve got absolutely nothing to say on this. We’ve made progress and we’re committed to making more progress as a government. This is all part of our long term plan for housing.”
