Advertisement

Councils face sanctions if they fail to hit proposed new house-building targets

Boris Johnson visited a construction site in Cheshire on Thursday - WPA Pool/Getty Images Europe
Boris Johnson visited a construction site in Cheshire on Thursday - WPA Pool/Getty Images Europe

Councils will be ordered to build a set number of homes each year and be sanctioned if they fail under new draft planning laws.

The proposals have been described as the biggest centralisation of the system in a generation, as Boris Johnson pledged to build more homes "in the right places".

The Prime Minister said on Thursday: "It takes far too long to build a home in this country, and they're way, way too expensive by comparison with France, Germany."

At present, councils have a say in determining how many homes of the 300,000 national yearly target they can build.

Under the draft legislation, councils would instead be given "binding" targets which the Government says would "drive greater land release". They would face sanctions if they failed to build the set number of homes. On Wednesday, a Government source said the exact sanctions were yet to be determined.

They will also be forced to lay out "local plans" of where new homes can be built. Currently, only about half have such schemes in place. These would take into account local factors, green belt, flood risks and brownfield land.

Planning experts said it was the "biggest shift away from localism in a generation".

Law firm Irwin Mitchell said: "Under the new system, local plans would not set planning policy – that would be undertaken by central Government. Instead, land would be divided into three categories."

Councillor James Jamieson, the Conservative chairman of the Local Government Association, said: "Any loss of local control over developments would be a concern". He added that nine in 10 applications were approved by councils.

Tory councillors are expected to be the most critical of the proposals, with some already expressing concerns.

Councillor Andrew Carter, leader of the Conservative group in Leeds, warned that “any attempts to streamline the planning process and cut red tape must ensure that local communities still have ample opportunity to comment on and influence proposals for development in their areas".

While Chris Crofts, West Norfolk’s Council planning chairman, said: “The real questions will be when we get to the actual detail. It’s going to be very contentious.”

Councillor John Kaiser, the Tory deputy leader of Woking council and executive member for housing and finance, described the plans as “bravado.”

In his foreword to the White Paper, Mr Johnson criticised the "outdated and ineffective planning system", saying: "Thanks to our planning system, we have nowhere near enough homes in the right places." He said the new system would be "simpler, clearer and quicker to navigate, delivering results in weeks and months rather than years and decades".

The Prime Minister also said the reforms (see video above) would see more social housing built following criticism that they could neglect affordable homes.

The White Paper proposes that all new streets should be tree-lined and all new homes carbon neutral by 2050. Planning permission for "beautiful buildings" will be fast-tracked. The plans also aim to boost the share of houses built by small and medium-sized building companies.

During a visit to a housing development in Warrington, Cheshire, Mr Johnson said: "What we're doing is simplifying the process so you actually get much more affordable housing.

"This solution gives them [builders] a much simpler infrastructure levy that enables them to go ahead and build a much bigger chunk of affordable housing and help people onto the property ladder.

"So I think it's going to have the reverse effect and enable us to build more homes for lots of different types of tenure, whether that's social rent, whether it's part-buy, part-rent, all kinds of things that will help people onto the property ladder."

Robert Jenrick, the Housing Secretary, said: "It's socially unjust that the younger generation should find it so hard to get on the property ladder."

The Royal Institute of British Architects said the reforms could lead to the creation of the "next generation of slum housing", which Mr Jenrick on Thursday dismissed as "complete nonsense", saying: "We will cut red tape, but not standards."

A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: "Local communities will be involved right from the start of the planning process – helping to decide what should go where and ensuring high standards continue in their communities.

"As is the case now, inspectors will have the power to make sure plans meet necessary requirements. These decisions will be considered on a case-by-case basis."