- Government’s Pledge: One Million New Homes in Cities
- Developers Call for More Decisive Action in Housing Crisis
- Plans to Boost Urban Development and Unblock Planning System
Rishi Sunak and Michael Gove have stated that the goal of building one million new homes during this parliament will be met – primarily in cities to protect the countryside – but developers say “much more decisive action is needed” if the government wants to make a difference in the housing crisis.
As Michael Gove prepares to unveil plans that he claims will boost construction without degrading the countryside, developers have accused the government of not doing enough to combat falling levels of house building.
The levelling up and housing secretary will discuss “unblocking the planning system” and urban development on Monday.
The prime minister also pledged to build one million new homes during this legislative term.
A separate commitment to build 300,000 new homes per year by the middle of the 2020s, according to government sources, remains in effect, despite a former Tory housing minister’s prediction in May that it would be missed “by a country mile.”
Last year, policymakers stopped local housing objectives after Conservative MPs rebelled over new constructions.
Rishi Sunak stated that “concreting over the countryside” was not the solution to the housing shortage in the United Kingdom.
He added, “We plan to construct the right homes where there is the greatest demand and local support, in the heart of Britain’s major cities… by regenerating unused brownfield land, streamlining the planning process, and assisting householders in renovating and extending their homes horizontally and vertically.
However, the Home Builders Federation stated that the plans “fail to address the primary reasons for the declining housing supply” and questioned whether sufficient brownfield land was available to meet demand.
The executive chairman of the group, Stewart Baseley, stated, “The increasingly anti-development policy environment is reducing housing supply, putting access to decent housing out of the reach of young people, reducing economic activity, and costing jobs.”
If the government is sincere about increasing the housing supply, it must take much more decisive action.
However, the organization representing local authorities criticized the government’s intentions for increased flexibility in planning laws, stating that property conversions should be governed by formal planning applications.
Further expansion of permitted development rights risks creating low-quality residential environments that hurt people’s health and well-being, as well as a lack of affordable housing and suitable infrastructure,” said Shaun Davies, the chair of the Local Government Association.
In a report released earlier this month, the cross-party Levelling Up Committee concluded that the government was on track to deliver one million new homes over the course of this parliament, but that the elimination of mandatory targets would make it difficult to meet the annual goal of 300,000 additional homes.
Since 2019, 687,000 new homes have been delivered, peaking at 242,700 in the 12 months before April 2020.
In May of last year, however, former housing minister Robert Jenrick, who now serves in the Home Office, predicted that housebuilding would decline shortly and that the 300,000 target would be “by a country mile” missing.
Industry sources doubt the government will fulfil its one million objective because of rising costs.
According to homebuilders, the elimination of mandatory targets and the enforcement of pollution regulations by Natural England has resulted in a record-low number of approved planning permissions.
Developers say “nutrient neutrality rules” are delaying 145,000 home building.
In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, Mr. Gove stated that ministers must collaborate with Natural England to ensure the proper balance between new housing construction and environmental protection.
Before his speech, Mr. Gove stated, “At the core of this is ensuring that we build beautiful communities and give them a voice in the development of their area.”
Labour’s shadow housing secretary, Lisa Nandy, said the Conservatives didn’t build enough homes.
She stated, “It takes a lot of guts for the Tories to make more promises when the housing crisis has worsened under their watch and housebuilding is on track to reach its lowest rate since the Second World War because Rishi Sunak capitulated to his MPs.”
