Building Safety Regulator gets funding boost as more than 100 sites in England identified for new towns

Sir Keir said: “For so many families, homeownership is a distant dream. After a decade of decline in housebuilding, the impact is a disconnect between working hard and getting on.

“This is about more than just bricks and mortar. It’s about the security and stability that owning your own home brings. I know what this means for working people – the roof above our head was everything for our family growing up. 

“We’ve already made progress in just seven months, unblocking 20,000 stuck homes. But there’s more to do. We’re urgently using all levers available to build the homes we need so more families can get on the housing ladder. We’re sweeping aside the blockers to get houses built, no longer accepting ‘no’ as the default answer, and paving the way for the next generation of new towns.”

The government will put £2m into the BSR to help improve the processing of new build applications.

National Highways, Natural England and the Environment Agency will get £1m to speed up the planning approval of new homes and improve feedback to local authorities and industry where required.

More than £3m in grants will be given to local councils to bolster planning capacity and provide support to navigate the complex issues holding up new development.

At the same time, the government is banking on the success of its new Section 106 clearing service, which more than 200 landlords signed up to in the first 50 days.

Highlighting its brownfield-first approach, the government is also targeting neglected small-scale council-owned sites with £20m, plus nearly £30m from the Brownfield Infrastructure and Land Fund will be used in Bradford to transform derelict brownfield sites.

This is in addition to £1.5m to support a regeneration programme at Manchester Victoria North, which will deliver a new district of 15,000 homes with transport links and green spaces.

Angela Rayner, deputy prime minister and housing secretary, said: “Time and again we are seeing too many new homes stuck or stalled that not only act as a barrier to growth but also has real-world consequences for working people and families who see homeownership as nothing more than a distant dream. 

“I will not run away from the tough choices to fix the housing crisis we inherited that has left thousands of families on housing waiting lists, allowed homelessness to spiral out of control, and stopped an entire generation from picking up the keys to their first home.  

“While our vision for the next generation of new towns is setting the stage for a housebuilding revolution in the years to come, urgent action is needed now to build the homes and infrastructure that our local communities are crying out for. That’s why our New Homes Accelerator is working at pace to find solutions and remove blockages in the system, executing long-lasting solutions to get spades in the ground.

“Today we are embarking on the next chapter in our Plan for Change to build 1.5 million new homes, deliver the biggest boost in social and affordable housing in a generation, and raise living standards for working people and families across the country.

“For far too long, working people have been let down by a decline in housebuilding. That’s why the government is rolling up its sleeves and is taking on the blockers with major reforms to planning regulation to get Britain building.” 

The government pointed out that around a quarter of sites submitted are already receiving attention since the call for evidence closed in October, which it believes “demonstrates success of the programme”.

It comes amid a blitz of policy announcements this week that include bringing forward Right to Manage changes using secondary legislation.