Four experts on government housing policy and plans

building site illustration. CREDIT_shutterstock_1721838952

The Labour government in England has hit the ground running in terms of planning, policy and infrastructure. So, what issues in the built environment have not been addressed?

Four experts from Leaders Romans Group, Boyer and Lanpro discuss the government’s planning policy and infrastructure announcements since July 2024, touching on topics including housing targets, ‘beauty’ in the built environment, affordability and environmental impacts.

National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)

Tim Foreman, Managing Director of Land and New Homes, Leaders Romans Group: “Within a month of being elected, the new government put in place a revised NPPF for consultation and laid out plans for a Planning and Infrastructure Bill. That’s a good start for a government committed to building 1.5 million homes in its first term in office, but it can’t stop there.

“The government’s housing targets, at 370,000 homes per annum, are very ambitious – it’s particularly concerning that private housing starts plummeted by 32% on 2023 levels. So will Labour’s planning reforms deliver new homes – or just new planning permissions?”

Lawrence Turner, Director, Boyer: “Boyer supports the proposed changes to increase effective co-operation between local authorities to tackle unmet housing needs. The NPPF should be amended further to support effective co-operation on strategic planning, as well as key infrastructure and environmental issues. Further clarification on the procedure for the preparation and timescales for preparing Spatial Development Strategies by mayoral authorities would be welcomed.

“We also support the government’s proposed changes [to ministerial involvement in local] plan making, which are intended to ensure that it is swift and proportionate and that the Secretary of State has the flexibility to respond to a range of scenarios. We would, however, welcome greater guidance and examples on when and how the powers might be used.

“At the present time, government intervention is sometimes seen as an empty threat by local planning authorities (LPAs). To ensure that proper plan making is undertaken by LPAs, clear examples of how and when intervention might take place will help encourage LPAs to properly engage with the NPPF agenda.”

Mark Topping, Director of Design, Lanpro: “The planning and development sector will no doubt be pleased to see the removal of ‘beauty’ from the NPPF. Most would agree that it was too subjective and almost impossible to qualify or quantify.

“While the valued landscapes initiative is beneficial in that it has resulted in some appeals being overturned and important countryside being protected, it lacks the additional weight attached to environmental designations such as National Landscapes. Of course, ‘beauty’ is important in both the natural and built environment – especially in preventing ‘identikit’ homes – but the term must be replaced with one that can be professionally quantified.

“Furthermore, we shouldn’t overlook the role of the natural environment in creating ‘beauty’. There are many social housing schemes that feature simple homes (in some cases Passivhaus, which are necessarily ‘boxy’ to achieve high levels of energy efficiency) that are visually stunning as well as practical. I would like to see planning policy lean more towards green infrastructure to create more naturally beautiful schemes that also function well for residents and the local environment.”

map location hand illustration. CREDIT_shutterstock_640012189

Affordable housing

Foreman: “It is encouraging that the new government appreciates the important role that housebuilding plays in the wider economy. But it is adding to existing pressures by making demands such as 50% affordable housing and showing little interest in providing incentives to kick-start the market, such as a new form of Help to Buy. In the context of increased construction, financing and labour costs, some form of fiscal support is necessary.

“While there is a lot in the revised NPPF that is commendable, there are some serious omissions. Perhaps the starkest is that there is very little to support first-time buyers and young families.

“Understandably the Labour government is keen to provide affordable homes for those most in need. And 50% affordable housing as a proportion of 370,000 new homes per year is considerable. But this doesn’t provide for young and not-so-young first-time buyers; couples keen to start a family but unable to move on from a one-bedroom flat; families bursting out of a three-bedroom terrace and desperate for a decent-sized garden.

“Also, it won’t help those new homes sell – as everyone in the housebuilding industry knows, the most successful scheme is one of mixed tenures and property sizes. We want to have something to offer everyone who comes through our sales centre doors, not just the extremes of rich and poor.

“The government must use policy-making time to address not just housing numbers, but housing requirements and preferences – otherwise we may see 370,000 more planning permissions, but not necessarily the homes that people want to buy.”

Turner: “We support the government’s aspiration to increase affordable housing provision to up to 50% on green belt and grey belt sites. However, in some areas land values will not be able to viably support 50% affordable housing – particularly those with a strong emphasis on social-rented provision – without undermining the quality of development and while also still incentivising landowners to release land for development.

“Existing compulsory purchase order (CPO) powers are expensive and time-consuming for local authorities to undertake. Many local authorities are currently underfunded and under-resourced, without the expertise readily available to proactively engage in CPO of land for affordable housing. The CPO process is also complex and protracted, taking several years to complete. For these reasons, involving CPO will not speed up housing delivery.”

Environment

Topping: “In response to climate change, a substantial housebuilding programme and an increased awareness of the value of biodiversity, I believe the government should consider reviving Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act.

“Natural flood management uses natural processes to reduce the risk of flooding. Yet flood management, including the current approach to sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), is only encouraged (rather than legislated for) through the planning system and is susceptible to too many loopholes. Schedule 3 of the Act passed into law in 2010 but was never implemented. As a result, the impact of new development on flood risk to local and downstream communities remains inadequately managed.

“With biodiversity net gain now firmly in place, the use of SuDS to deliver biodiversity, alongside managing water levels, presents wide-ranging opportunities to the planning and development sector.

“The new Labour government has been impressive in its support for renewable energy, specifically solar and onshore wind. However, the increase in overhead cables and pylons has already attracted controversy. In an ideal world, the national infrastructure highway would run along the motorways or, even better, underground. But these are costly and sometimes impractical options.

“We saw a NIMBY [Not In My Back Yard] revolt under the previous administration, but a sudden expansion of overhead cables in the countryside could precipitate a greater rebellion. I believe we need a national conversation to understand whether people would like cabling to be underground (at a cost) or are prepared to accept the visual impact.

“Of course, views will vary across the country, with those living in more attractive and wealthier landscapes potentially prepared to pay more through taxes. So with the English Devolution Bill due to be published shortly, perhaps this is an issue that can be taken on by mayors and, where deemed appropriate, funded through council tax?”

Ross Gamblin, Associate Director of Arboriculture, Lanpro: “The environment must remain a priority in any new planning legislation and the British Standard BS 5837 concerning trees, which has recently been revised and is being consulted upon, presents an opportunity for positive change.

“This would enable a more effective link between BS 5837 and biodiversity net gain (BNG) also protecting veteran trees through explicitly stating that the preservation of veteran trees aligns with the overall biodiversity enhancement goals of BNG. Similarly, BNG guidelines should emphasise the application of BS 5837 for the protection of veteran trees during the planning and construction phases. This mutual reinforcement would create a clearer, unified approach to tree protection in development projects.

“We would also like to see a clearer, more stringent policy requiring that developments impacting veteran trees not only consider avoidance and protection, but also mandate retention and ‘no go’ areas as a baseline standard except in extreme, justified cases. This would ensure that their irreplaceable value is more consistently prioritised. The standard should also include requirements for long-term monitoring of veteran trees post-development.”

Turner: “To meet the government’s objective to boost housing delivery, the provision of water is essential. We would encourage better links between the service providers, developers and LPAs. Without this, new housing is often delayed or limited due to lack of water infrastructure provision or capacity in the network.

“To this end, we support in principle the proposed amendments to the Planning Act 2008 to update the definition of nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs) to incorporate water infrastructure projects.” 

 For more, visit lrg.co.uk, boyerplanning.co.uk and lanpro.co.uk

Tim Foreman, Managing Director of Land and New Homes, Leaders Romans Group
Lawrence Turner, Director, Boyer
Mark Topping, Director of Design, Lanpro
Ross Gamblin, Associate Director of Arboriculture, Lanpro

Image credit | Shutterstock

 

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