The government has launched the second phase of its New Homes Accelerator programme, which aims to cut delays and boost the building of over 125,000 homes.
Seven new sites will be included in the second phase, including in the East Midlands, the South East, the East of England and London. Over 11,400 of the homes are in government priority areas, including the Oxford-Cambridge ‘growth corridor’. A new London-focused service will boost building in the capital.
Planning experts have been brought in across the country to assist with the programme, and will work alongside statutory consultees and other government departments on issues affecting sites to eliminate barriers to development.
Additional planning capacity has been allocated to several areas, with ‘regulatory hurdles’ removed to speed up construction. The government said it will continue to work with statutory consultees to accelerate development.
Housing secretary Steve Reed is calling on developers, landowners and councils to suggest further sites that would benefit from the programme.
He said:
“The number of families and young people locked out of the dream of home ownership is unacceptable so we are doing everything we can to make that dream come true.
“We’re stripping away the barriers blocking new homes being built and our New Homes Accelerator means 125,000 will now go ahead. But we’re just getting started.
“This next phase will see spades in the ground even faster as we build the 1.5 million homes this country needs.”
Amy Rees, chief executive of Homes England, added:
“As the government expands the NHA, we continue to provide our expertise and resources, working hard with partners across the country to accelerate key sites with the potential to deliver thousands of new homes for people throughout England.
“Collaboration is central to what we do, and we encourage both new and longstanding delivery partners to work with us to unlock further sites, as together we support the government’s ambition to deliver 1.5 million homes during this parliament.”
