Finally more homes are being built, but they’re not affordable…
The Local Government Association (LGA) have today published research outlining over 23,000 affordable homes have been lost due to bypassing planning permission.
Delivering new homes is a target everybody wants to hit, but there seems to be no easy route. New research from the LGA shows 95,962 new houses have been provided since 2015 – an impressive number considering the current climate.
Though this news appears good on the surface, there is a downside. The reason so many new homes could be delivered is because they have been converted from offices under permitted development rights (PDR) – where full planning permission is not required.
Without the need for full planning permission, there is no mechanism for local authorities to enforce affordable housing or infrastructure contributions from developers.
Commenting on the news, Councillor Adam Hug, a spokesperson for the LGA, said: ‘The government has set an ambitious target to deliver 1.5 million more homes over the parliament.
‘Permitted development allows premises such as offices, agricultural buildings, shops and restaurants and light industry to be converted into houses without the need to provide any affordable homes. These premises can result in poor quality housing and it means that councils face losing out on more Section 106 contributions for infrastructure to support new developments and affordable housing at a time when these are most needed.’
To give context on how urgent affordable housing is in the UK, the latest data from The House of Commons Library shows the amount of housing for affordable or social rent in England has fallen from around 20% in 2000 to 16% in 2023.
Against this backdrop, the LGA, who represent councils in England and Wales, are calling on the government to revoke unfettered permitted development rights to ensure new homes are of a decent standard. What’s more, the political organisation has also claimed that permitted development rights undermine the role of local plans and rob communities of the chance to have their say on new projects.
‘In order to deliver more housing of a decent standard, councils need the right powers, skills, resources and funding to act and want to work with government and the development and housebuilding industry,’ Cllr Hug added.
Within the research, experts noted that the actual figure of office-to-residential conversations will be higher than the number reported above as the legislation was introduced in May 2013, but data is not publicly available at national level until 15.
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