The number one issue in my post bag is housing, from those struggling to get on the property ladder or overcrowded accommodation to HMOs popping up in streets across Portsmouth.
We have inherited a housing crisis, caused by the previous Government which has seen housebuilding plummet. Bold and decisive action is needed.
This is why we’re confirming that we will overhaul local planning committees, allowing planning officers to make more decisions to speed up the approvals process.
Of course, there must be local democratic oversight, and planning committees will continue to make decisions for important development, as well as their local plans.
Unblocking the clogged-up planning system means providing greater certainty. This means that good quality schemes, aligned with democratically agreed local development plans, will be approved in a timely manner to get spades in the ground.
This will bring clarity and consistency to everyone on how decisions are made.
It also means ensuring that residents know non-compliant or speculative schemes that depart from their local plans will be subject to appropriate democratic scrutiny.
The question is where the homes and the local services that people expect get built, not whether homes are built at all.
We want every area to have a democratically agreed local plan to meet their housing need. We must all do our bit, and we must all do more.
Today we are publishing a working paper setting out our approach to modernising planning committees, we set out a number of proposals for sector views on:
- A national scheme of delegation to bring clarity and consistency to applicants and communities about how decisions are made. It will make sure planning committees focus on the right applications with the necessary expertise.
- Dedicated committees for strategic development to help committee members dedicate energy to the most significant projects.
- Mandatory training for planning committee members. The government will engage closely with the sector on this paper, the first in a series of working papers aimed at informing policy development for the Bill.
Last year, the number of homes granted planning permission fell to the lowest for a decade. Under the last Government, planning decisions took 4.2 years to be made. That is far too slow, that means just 19% of major planning applications are being determined in the statutory 13-week period.
Key Stats
- Last year, the number of homes granted planning permission fell to the lowest for a decade.
- 150,000 children – the highest on record – are stuck living in temporary accommodation.
- The last Government agreed just 57 major infrastructure projects decisions in the entirety of previous Parliament – we have already agreed six this Parliament.
- Britain has not built a reservoir in 30 years. I’m proud we’re building the first just up the road in Havant.
- Under existing rules – planning permissions are declining. In the year ending June 2024, local authorities gave permission for 231,000 homes which is down 15% from the 270,000 homes granted permission in the year to June 2023.
- As of January, local authorities had 120,300 applications in the system. We inherited a situation where only 38% of minor applications were determined in the statutory 8-week period and only 19% of major applications were determined in the statutory 13-week period.
- Just under one third of local authorities have adopted a local plan within the last five years – this has declined from 44% in December 2019 and leaves them open to speculative development on appeal.
