The UK government have claimed the current system makes it far too difficult for small and medium sized (SME) housebuilders to get their ‘spades in the ground’.
Deputy prime minister and housing secretary Angela Rayner announced the new measures yesterday in a bid to accelerate progress towards the government’s target of delivering 1.5 million new homes.
Under the new measures, development sites that consist of fewer than 10 homes will no longer have to jump through 100 planning obstacles and will benefit from streamlined planning rules and eased Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements.
Meanwhile, a new middle tier of ‘medium’ residential developments, comprising of 10 to 49 homes, is likewise being introduced.
While these decisions will help achieve government targets, their introduction will also boost the status of SMEs. Since the 1980s smaller firms have witnessed their market share shrink, however 45 years ago SMEs delivered 40% of England’s properties.
‘Smaller housebuilders must be the bedrock of our Plan for Change to build .5 million homes and fix the housing crisis we’ve inherited – and get working people on the housing ladder,’ Angela Rayner said. ‘For decades the status quo has failed them and it’s time to level up the playing field.’
The announcements are outlined in two consultation documents otherwise known as ‘Planning Reform Working Paper: Reforming Site Thresholds’ and ‘Reform of Planning Committees: Technical Consultation’. The latter includes controversial plans to give planning officers the final say over applications rather than elected planning committees.
The reaction from industry experts regarding the new plans has been extremely positive. Richard Beresford, chief executive of the National Federation of Builders (NFB), said: ‘This is a huge win for the NFB. I am immensely proud of our housebuilding members and staff for never giving up on their campaign for a ‘medium’ sized site definition of between 10 and 49 homes.
‘After we helped write the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the next logical step was a ‘medium’ sized definition to sit between Minor, fewer than 10 homes, and major, 10 and above. We never expected it to take seven years of lobbying but are delighted that in less than twelve months, the Labour government understood that they could not help SMEs unless planning recognised their typical site size.
‘Labour should be commended for understanding the benefits of this proposal, particularly after the Conservative government talked up their desire to help SMEs but did little to recognise their existence.’
Echoing a similar tone, Catherine Spitzer, CEO of Environment Bank, added: ‘We welcome this government consultation to support greater housebuilding. It is important to recognise that the government’s Biodiversity Net Gain policy is already delivering in this respect and helping housebuilders get planning permission faster, while also driving nature recovery, boosting rural economies and supporting farmers and local government.
‘In England, BNG is already generating £454.6m in annual economic value, supporting nearly 4,500 jobs and restoring over 17,000 acres of land each year.’
‘However, private investment in nature requires certainty. It is crucial for government to set out a clear, unwavering commitment to the BNG policy,’ she continued. ‘We hope this consultation process will provide that certainty, which will allow the market to thrive and continue delivering the wide-ranging benefits the policy offers.’
Photo by Ümit Yıldırım via UnSplash
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