Planning reform delays hurting new builds
The government’s proposed planning reforms are causing local authorities to drag their heels over applications to build new homes, a house builder has said.
Steve Morgan, chairman of Redrow, said today that the current planning environment was ‘frustratingly slow and costly’ as councils used the consultation into the draft National Planning Policy Framework to put applications on hold.
Mr Morgan said: ‘The existing planning environment remains frustratingly slow and costly, with far too many local authorities using the current hiatus as an excuse to impede and delay planning applications.
‘As an indication of the present climate, Redrow alone has 30 live planning applications for 5,219 plots, which are either delayed beyond the 13 week statutory determination period or subject to appeal.
‘We opened the year selling from 74 developments, which has reduced to 68 as of today as older sites have completed and continuing planning delays slow down the commencement of projected new sites.
‘We are hopeful that this trend will reverse in the coming months as planning uncertainties recede.’
Mr Morgan said that Redrow had acquired 1,365 plots over 12 sites across the country since the beginning of the financial year and the company currently had 11,300 plots in its landbank – which represented four-and-a-half years supply.
Mr Morgan was speaking at the company’s annual general meeting where he revealed like for like private home reservations in the financial year to date had risen 14 per cent to £131 million.
The company also revealed that the number of reservations was up by 1 per cent – to 39 homes per week.
