Will new planning system solve the housing crisis?
Getting Britain building again
You may have seen that Rachel Reeves promised to “get Britain building again” in her first speech as Chancellor. The King’s Speech then introduced the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, the key aims of which are:
- hire 300 new planners
- speed up building by removing certain obstacles
- reintroduce housing targets
The aim would be to build 300,000 dwellings a year over the next five years – totalling 1.5 million houses built by the end of the decade.
Industry professionals broadly supported the plans, although they did still have some concerns. Our own body, Civic Voice, highlighted that “the wrong homes are being built in the wrong places”, which doesn’t help those on low incomes – and that “we need to consider the role of reusing buildings rather than the current demolish and rebuild profit approach.” They put out a survey on the King’s Speech, to which 198 civic societies responded. You can see our response below.
The Government announces policy reforms
Shortly after Civic Voice launched their survey, the Government released their proposals to reform the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) along with a consultation, which runs until 24 September. With it comes an increase in the housing target to 370,000 homes per year.
Anyone can take the survey, but we appreciate that there is quite a lot of reading in the documentation! We will be updating this page with some key points in the near future. In the meantime, we want the opinions of local people on the current housing situation and the proposals. Come along to our Coffee Afternoon on Wednesday 28 August to voice your opinion (and enjoy free refreshments)! We are particularly interested to hear from organisations that represent minority and protected groups – get in touch if you represent such a group.