Government increases housing targets to get Britain building again

The government has announced an overhaul of the planning system. All councils in England are to be given new, mandatory housing targets to pave the way to deliver 1.5 million more homes.

The new rules set out today will reverse the decision last year to water down housing targets, by making them explicitly advisory, at a time when planning permissions were at a record low.

The government said the new approach reflects the level of ambition necessary to tackle the housing crisis and meet the government’s commitment to 1.5 million homes.   

The Deputy Prime Minister has written to every council Leader and Chief Executive in England to make clear that there is “not just a professional responsibility but a moral obligation to see more homes built”, and that she will not hesitate to use her powers of intervention should it be necessary – including taking over an authority’s plan making directly.   

Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner said:  “Our decisive reforms to the planning system correct the errors of the past and set us on our way to tackling the housing crisis, delivering 1.5 million homes for those who really need them.    

“And something I am personally proud of, our new flexibilities for councils will boost the number of social and affordable homes, and give working families a better route to a secure home.” 

The first port of call for development will be brownfield land. Reforms announced today will mean that the default answer to brownfield development should be “yes” and promote homebuilding at greater densities in towns and cities.  

To help deliver 1.5 million homes over the next five years, councils will have to review their green belt land if needed to meet their own target, identifying and prioritising ‘grey belt’ land, for which the government has today set out a definition. This includes land on the edge of existing settlements or roads, as well as old petrol stations and car parks.   

Land released in the Green Belt will be subject to the government’s ‘golden rules’, which make clear that development should deliver 50 per cent affordable homes, increase access to green spaces and put the necessary infrastructure is in place, such as schools and GP surgeries.    

The Deputy Prime Minister has also confirmed that details of future government investment in social and affordable housing will be brought forward at the next spending review, so social housing providers can plan for the future and help deliver the biggest increase in affordable housebuilding in a generation. 

Neil Jefferson, CEO, Home Builders Federation, said: “Today represents the first and most important step ministers have taken in addressing the barriers to delivering new homes. The scale of the government’s housing ambition has given hope to the house building industry that stands ready to increase supply and tackle the country’s housing shortage. The planning system has long failed to provide the amount of land needed to address affordability pressures, but in recent years the elimination of housing targets has led to housing supply plummeting. A reformed, more progressive planning system that requires local authorities to meet their communities’ housing needs is a major step forward to address the barriers to delivery."

The Campaign to Protect Rural England's CEO Roger Mortlock said: "The government is right to commit to a brownfield-first approach that could deliver 1.2 million homes. But rather than housing targets that fuel speculative development, we need ambitious targets for brownfield homes, homes for social rent and genuinely affordable homes. 

"The government’s definition of grey belt land is too subjective and could lead to unintended consequences, damaging the very openness that people value. The Green Belt is the countryside next door for 30 million people in the UK. We agree we need a Green Belt fit for the 21st century, enhanced for people and the planet, not run down and then built on by profit-hungry developers."

Chief Executive at Surrey-based Berkeley Homes,Rob Perrins, said: “Berkeley strongly supports the Government’s mission to build 1.5 million new homes and welcome the steps taken today to begin reform of the planning system.  

"Ministers have challenged industry to do more and Berkeley is determined to play our full part. We have therefore today laid out plans for how we can start an additional 10,000 private and affordable homes over the next five years. These plans include accelerating work on our current long-term sites, securing new deliverable planning permissions, investing over £1 billion into a new 4,000 home Build to Rent programme, and returning to the land market having not bought a new site for more than 2½ years. 

"As with the Government’s mission for housing this plan is ambitious but achievable. When all levels of government work in partnership with industry we can move at pace, and deliver more of the good green homes people need.”