New planning policies to deliver homes faster, says Deputy PM
Reforms enable planning officers to approve housing projects without council committee oversight
Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has announced significant reforms to streamline the housing approval process, enabling planning officers to approve suitable projects without requiring council committee consent.
In a piece for The Sunday Telegraph, Rayner emphasised the need to “unblock the clogged-up planning system” by offering developers greater certainty. High-quality developments aligned with local development plans and design standards would be fast-tracked under the new proposals, with non-compliant projects still subjected to “appropriate democratic scrutiny.”
Key insights:
- Overhauling Local Planning Committees: Planning officers will gain authority to make independent decisions, accelerating the approvals process.
- Mandatory Local Plans: Rayner urged councils to adopt local plans to meet housing needs, focusing on appropriate locations with necessary services.
- Revised National Planning Policy Framework: Expected this week, the revised framework will reverse policies that scrapped mandatory housing targets under the previous government.
- Funding for Builders: The government plans to unlock £700 million through the Home Building Fund, supporting small and medium-sized developers to deliver 12,000 new homes in 2025.
This announcement aligns with Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s ambitious “Plan for Change,” which targets 1.5 million new homes during this parliament. Rayner acknowledged the scale of the challenge, describing the housing crisis as a blockage on growth that has left a generation locked out of homeownership.
Following the announcement on Monday, Angela Rayner’s Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) published a working paper outlining the proposals. While not subject to formal consultation, the paper will guide discussions with the sector.
The new government proposals allowing planning officers to bypass local committees for development approvals have been welcomed by housebuilders and planners.
