Ministers push to build 300,000 new homes on 200 'blocked sites', as Rayner calls housebuilding 'moral obligation'
29 August 2024, 00:02
Ministers are sending out planning experts to hundreds of 'blocked' housebuilding sites across the country to work through planning problems and get more homes built.
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The housing ministry said that it had identified 200 sites that had planning permission for as many as 300,000 homes that had not been built yet.
The government said it was deploying experts to those sites to tackle blockages and work out local issues.
This is part of a wider plan to tackle the planning system and build 1.5 million homes.
Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister and minister for housing, communities and local government, said the so-called New Homes Accelerator would "support local authorities and developers to get shovels in the ground", ahead of the scheme's official launch on Thursday.
Ms Rayner said: "For far too long, the delivery of tens of thousands of new homes has been held back by a failure to make sure the development system is working as it should.
"This Government has a moral obligation to do everything within our power to build the homes that people desperately need and we won't hesitate to intervene where we need to.
"Our New Homes Accelerator will quickly identify blockages, fix problems and support local authorities and developers to get shovels in the ground."
The Government is calling on landowners, local authorities and housebuilders to come forward with details of blocked sites that have significant planning issues, so it can tackle the obstacles that are preventing the delivery of new homes.
More than 10,000 homes could be built at three "stalled sites" - Stretton Hall in Leicestershire, Tendring in Essex, and Biggleswade Garden Community in Central Bedfordshire - as part of the team's plans.
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A further 14,000 homes are being built at four large housing sites in Liverpool, Worcester, Northstowe and Sutton Coldfield, the Government said.
David O'Leary, executive director of the Home Builders Federation, said: "The planning process and everything associated with it delivers too little land and has long been a significant constraint on house building. Government has shown a welcome desire in the weeks since the election to address the problems.
"A lack of planning-department capacity and misaligned incentives for other public bodies and statutory consultees has created a process with huge uncertainty. This creates an abundance of risk, resulting in longer development timescales and severe challenges, in particular for small and medium-sized house builders.
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"Adopting a pragmatic approach to planning will increase the pace at which new homes are built and help to turn around ailing housing supply.
"Unlocking homes and delivering new communities will boost growth and support job creation while providing young people with access to new, more affordable housing.
"The housing market is complex and we look forward to working with Government to ensure that all aspects of the housing market are functioning more effectively."
