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Sector welcomes Starmer’s plan for 1.5 million homes
Sector bodies have immediately welcomed the Labour leader’s pledge today to deliver a package of reforms to transform the planning system and deliver 1.5 million homes over the next parliament.
Sir Keir Starmer promised to “build a new Britain” in his address to the Labour Party Conference, that promised to “bulldoze through” what he described as a “restrictive” planning system.
He highlighted the current system as the main obstacle blocking the building of new homes.
“Where there’s good land for affordable homes, we’ll get shovels in the ground, cranes in the sky and build the next generation of Labour new towns,” said the Labour leader.
Under Sir Keir, Labour will give towns and cities new powers over planning and building, because “getting Britain building again is critical for economic growth”.
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His plan includes a blitz of planning reform to quickly boost housebuilding to buy and rent, while enhancing local voice on ‘how’ housing is built, with communities confident plans will be delivered.
The Labour leader spoke of a “next generation of Labour new towns”, creating new communities with green spaces, reliable transport links and bustling high streets.
There will be a package of devolution to regional mayors, who will be given stronger powers over planning and control over housing investment.
The Labour Party also plans to introduce a ‘planning passport’ for urban brownfield development, featuring a fast-track approval and delivery mechanism for high-density housing on urban brownfield sites.
Alongside this, there are proposals to give first-time buyers ‘first dibs’, aimed at supporting younger people by giving them the first chance at homes in new housing developments with a government-backed mortgage guarantee scheme.
Sir Keir said: “No more land-bankers sitting comfortably on brownfield sites while rents in their community rise.
“No more councils refusing to develop a local plan because they prefer the back-door deals. No more inertia in the face of resistance – and there will be resistance from people who say, ‘No, we don’t want Britain’s future here.’
“My message to them is this. A future must be built. That is the responsibility of a serious government.”
He also rejected the idea that Labour was “tearing up” the green belt and that Labour would build on the “grey belt” of car parks and disused wasteland. He added that “this cannot be justified as a reason to hold our future back”.
Sector response to Stamer’s speech
In response, Gavin Smart, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing, said: “The housing crisis needs bold and ambitious action to address it, so we really welcome the announcements by Sir Keir Starmer today to tackle it head on with a housing recovery plan which reflects many of the asks in our housing manifesto.
“An effective planning system, backed with the right resources, is key to ensuring we have the right homes, in the right places, that people can afford. A focus on devolution should help ensure targeted and community-centred investment, supported by a focus on brownfield development.
“A new towns programme should help address the huge deficit in truly affordable housing supply for this generation and the next, while supporting sustainable and holistic development.”
Kate Henderson, chief executive of the National Housing Federation, also welcomed the announcements and what she described as “promising solutions”.
Ms Henderson said: “Building new towns provides the opportunity to create high-quality places with ambitious sustainability standards, much-needed affordable homes and better use of infrastructure.
“The post-war New Towns programme has shown that building new communities can be good for the economy as well as society. We also welcome the potential that further devolution presents to delivering much-needed additional affordable housing, particularly in areas where regeneration is a priority.
“It is also positive to see a pragmatic approach to reviewing the greenbelt, which needs to be done strategically rather than the current piecemeal approach. We know that some greenbelt land can be of low quality, and limited value and may include things like former car parks or petrol stations.
“Given the chronic shortage of homes we have in England, it makes sense to use some of this land to deliver the homes we sorely need, while protecting the parts of the green belt that are more valuable to our environment.”
Greg Reed, group chief executive of Places for People, said: “Sir Keir Starmer’s pledge to boost local economies, deliver 1.5 million new homes, and create quality jobs is perfectly aligned to our purpose of creating and supporting thriving communities.
“Giving more power to redevelop unused land would provide a vital and welcome opportunity for key pockets of the country to scale up and deliver fantastic infrastructure for generations to come.
“We are ready and waiting to support delivery of vital new housing at scale and we welcome these bold new approaches proposed today.”
Sir Keir’s commitments sum up a conference led by housing announcements. On Sunday, Angela Rayner pledged “the biggest boost in affordable and social housing for a generation”.
She said that Labour will deliver the housebuilding boost by preventing developers from “wriggling out of their responsibilities” to help speed up new social and affordable housing.
This commitment was followed up by shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves on Monday, who said Labour would take on the “antiquated planning system” with reforms to accelerate the building of energy, transport and housing.
