UK

Sweeping changes to house planning to be unveiled in drive for 1.5 million homes

The Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary is to address MPs about the overhaul.

Undated Taylor Wimpey handout photo of workers laying bricks at a Taylor Wimpey construction site
Undated Taylor Wimpey handout photo of workers laying bricks at a Taylor Wimpey construction site (Taylor Wimpey/PA)
By Helen Corbett and Nina Lloyd, PA

Sweeping changes to England’s planning system are set to be announced by Angela Rayner as the Government seeks to clear a path to build 1.5 million new homes.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary is expected to address MPs about an overhaul set to include bringing back mandatory housing targets and more detail on the land Labour could use for development.

The Government says it is committed to preserving nature, but that the so-called grey belt, low-quality areas such as disused car parks and wasteland on parts of protected land known as the green belt, could be built on.

(PA Graphics/Press Association Images)

The announcement will introduce “golden rules” to ensure development works for local people and protects the environment, Ms Rayner has said.

Changes to the National Planning Policy Framework, the guidelines which govern the planning system, which were brought in under the Tory government are also expected to abandoned.

The Telegraph reported Labour will drop the requirement for new homes to be “beautiful”, introduced by the Conservatives, which critics have argued is too vague.

The ruling party’s manifesto used different language, outlining instead its aim for “exemplary” development to be “the norm not the exception.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (left) and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner during a meeting with English regional mayors, Ben Houchen Mayor of the Tees Valley and Steve Rotheram (right) Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, at No 10 Downing Street in Westminster, central London
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (left) and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner during a meeting with English regional mayors, Ben Houchen Mayor of the Tees Valley and Steve Rotheram (right) Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, at No 10 Downing Street in Westminster, central London (Ian Vogler/Daily Mirror/PA)

Sir Keir Starmer has suggested his Government sides with “builders not blockers” on planning policy, saying it will consult on “how, not if” projects should take place as speeding up development is seen as key to its mission to boost economic growth.

Under proposed legislation announced in the King’s Speech, the Government will seek to allow for land to be bought more cheaply for building through reforms to compulsory purchase compensation rules.

Owners forced to sell up would be paid “fair but not excessive” compensation to make way for important developments under the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, the Government said.

The Tories have suggested Labour is downplaying the scope of its plans, describing references to the “grey belt” as spin and voicing concerns about the Government’s plans potentially disempowering local authorities.