Councils have been told to prioritise brownfield developments – while the government has urged them to be less bureaucratic and more flexible.
In a government announcement, they said the bar for refusing brownfield plans will be made much higher for big city councils who fail to hit their locally agreed housebuilding targets.
The changes will be introduced in London, which is said to have poor housing delivery.
Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister, said: “We pledged to build the right homes in the right places – protecting our precious countryside and building more in urban areas where demand is highest. Today’s package is us delivering on that.”
Michael Gove, housing secretary, added: “Our new brownfield presumption will tackle under delivery in our key towns and cities – where new homes are most needed to support jobs and drive growth.”
The government said it is also helping developers overcome tiresome bureaucracy by slashing red tape that stops derelict sites and unused buildings being turned into new homes.
Legislation laid in parliament today will extend current permitted development rights, so that commercial buildings of any size can be converted into new homes.
Spencer McCarthy, chairman and chief executive officer at Churchill Retirement Living, said: “We’ve long believed in the potential of building on brownfield. It makes strong economic sense, helps save town centres from decay and dereliction, and reduces the need for greenfield development.
“Any measures that make it easier to get planning permission are welcomed by the home building industry, and we hope this is the first step of many the government is taking to remove the sea of red tape that is obstructing the delivery needed to meet the UK’s demand for new homes.”
Nick Sanderson, chief executive Audley Group, said: “Removing blocks in the planning system is a step in the right direction. But brownfield sites are only one of the possible options to give UK families the homes they need. The focus shouldn’t simply be on building more homes. It’s about building the right types of homes.
“The government must look at how the property market functions as a whole. Instead of continuing its blinkered focus on first time buyers and young families, it has to look at increasing the supply of age-specific housing. This would encourage older homeowners to move out of large family homes, freeing up supply and creating movement up and down the ladder. The benefits of this are numerous.
“Any new development, particularly city centre regeneration projects, should include provision for age-specific housing.”
