黑洞社区

Labour would reverse planned changes to the national planning policy framework (NPPF) on its first day in government. 

黑洞社区 understands that if councils use the reforms announced by Michael Gove yesterday to reduce their housebuilding targets, they run the risk of having to make their plans anew. 

According to the party鈥檚 local housing recovery plan, housing targets would be made mandatory, with strengthened mechanisms to enforce it.  

Labour has also said that, if elected, it would write to chief planning officers explaining that they expect councils to look for reasons to approve applications in areas without an up-to-date plan where development has stalled. 

The housing secretary confirmed yesterday that he was watering down housing delivery targets for local authorities, while introducing league tables to encourage better performance from planning authorities. 

Addressing the revised NPPF in the House of Commons yesterday, shadow housing minister Matthew Pennycook said that despite 鈥渕inor tweaks鈥�, the policy was largely what had been expected. 

鈥淭he changes being made are those the government, in their weakness, promised the so-called planning concern group of Tory backbenchers that they would enact back in December last year to stave off a rebellion on the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill,鈥� he said. 

>> Read more: Key takeaways from Gove鈥檚 big planning speech

鈥淭hat is precisely why members of that group are so pleased with the 鈥榗ompromise鈥� they have secured today.鈥� 

Pennycook also said suggestions of and intervention in the London Plan were 鈥減unitive and nakedly political鈥�. 

It comes as industry bodies from across the built environment delivered their verdict on Gove鈥檚 speech yesterday. 

The Royal Town Planning Institute鈥檚 chief executive Victoria Hills said its members had expressed concerns that local plans 鈥渃ould lead to undersupply of houses due to Green Belt and other considerations under this framework鈥�. 

鈥淭his means that proactive planning tools the Secretary of State mentioned today will become much more important for the delivery of much needed homes,鈥� she said. 

Jack Pringle, chair of the RIBA board, who gave opening remarks before welcoming the housing secretary onto the stage in the RIBA Gallery, 鈥渁pplauded鈥� the focus on building new homes said he was 鈥渓ooking forward to seeing further detail鈥� 

鈥淥ur planning system is an impediment to badly needed development at local, national and infrastructure levels,鈥� he said.  

鈥淲e need to move to a simpler, faster planning system with more predictable outcomes.鈥�    

Victoria Du Croz, partner and head of the planning team at law firm Forsters, said it was 鈥渢elling鈥� that Gove said in his speech that he had listened to elected representatives.  

鈥淭his really is all about politics,鈥� she said.  鈥淗e鈥檚 also been listening to local authorities but that鈥檚 only half the sector. Developers鈥� responses to the NPPF consultation came from a place of being involved in the sector day in and day out and wanting to shape genuine reform.鈥� 

Du Croz added that Gove had not 鈥渁ddressed the fundamental concern that his reforms won鈥檛 deliver additional housing鈥�. 

Ian Fletcher, policy director of the British Property Federation, accused the government of 鈥渨atering down鈥� its own targets and 鈥渃reating more obstacles and delays鈥� to delivery. 

鈥淲hat is often overlooked is that if less land is allocated for housing, less land is likely to also be allocated for the commercial developments we need to create jobs and drive the economy,鈥� he said.  

鈥淭hese changes could have far-reaching consequences and undermine the Government鈥檚 growth agenda.鈥� 

Fletcher encouraged the government to 鈥渦se the carrot as well as the stick鈥� by providing more resources for planning departments. 

However, he noted that plans to review statutory consultees showed that the government 鈥渄oes recognise the need to speed up the process鈥�. 

Darren Rodwell, the Labour leader of Barking & Dagenham council and housing spokesperson for the Local Government Association welcomed the decision to make housing targets an advisory starting point. 

He added that the 鈥渞eality is that planning is not a barrier to house building鈥�, pointing out that nine in 10 applications are approved 鈥渄espite significant resourcing and capacity issues across the country鈥�. 

鈥淚n order to help increase the speed of local plan-making and housing delivery, we urge the Government to bring forward consultations on a revised National Planning Policy Framework and National Development Management Policies which will form the backbone of a new style of plan-making due in Autumn 2024,鈥� said Rodwell. 

Regarding the secretary of state鈥檚 criticism of housing delivery in the capital, Muniya Barua, deputy chief executive of BusinessLDN, the business advocacy group formerly known as London First, said it was 鈥渞ight to focus on measures to boost supply鈥�. 

Barua warned that Gove should 鈥渢read carefully鈥� to avoid undermining London鈥檚 devolution settlement and said unlocking home supply in the capital would 鈥渞equire collaboration at all levels of London government鈥�. 

She urged central government to issue guidance on second staircases in tall residential buildings, lack of clarity on which is 鈥渃urrently the biggest blocker of construction in London鈥�, she said.