Britain is Building Again

Good news, the planning system is changing, again.??

After the last Government got rid of targets, housing numbers and generally made it more difficult and complicated to build anything, the new Government has now set out its intention to reverse this and bring it all back again.??

During the General Election, the Labour party went big on removing the barriers to development and using extra housing and infrastructure to stimulate economic growth.?

In the King's Speech on Wednesday, the new Labour Government announced a Planning and Infrastructure Bill to try and deliver on those promises. King's (or Queen's) Speeches are a funny thing. The day itself is essentially a set of headline announcements which set out all the bills planned for the next session of Parliament.??

What then follows are a series of days of debate where specific proposed areas of legislation are talked about in more detail.??

Earlier today, MPs debated housing and planning. Speaking in the Chamber, the Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said she hopes by handing more planning powers to England’s metro mayors, regional government will help deliver more homes.?

She went on to say the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will accelerate upgrades to the national grid, simplify processes around major new infrastructure projects and reform compulsory purchase compensation rules to block "excessive" payouts.??

Councils will still have the right to block individual planning applications, but Ministers will be able to overrule them if they believe they are not building enough. The Government has also pledged to increasing local planning authorities to improve performance and decision making.?

The bill will see the creation of what Labour has called a “grey belt”, a new category of apparently second-rate green belt land loosely identified as “car parks, scrubland and former tips”, these are not official clarifications which are coming in due course.?

In a fiery response from the Shadow Housing Secretary Kemi Badenoch, she said the promises are not deliverable. She noted that the Government have promised 1.5 million homes by the end of the Parliament which is 800 houses per day.??

In essence, she said that over 14 years in government, the Conservatives, tried to build more houses. Essentially, she said the Tories know how difficult it is to build more so Labour have their work cut out for them.??

The Government faces some strong headwinds, and we see three main problems:??

• An additional 300 planning officers might not do too much to increase the rate of approved applications.?

• Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives control XX local authorities where they will do their best to block development should it hinder their voters.??

• Labour’s 52 newest MPs who now govern in previously safe Tory seats will have to weigh up whether they support building in areas that their voters do not want.??

Whilst time will tell if the Government can get Britain building again, we believe this represents a bold step forward in the UK's approach to national development. By addressing key areas such as infrastructure upgrades, planning authority capacity, and land use, the legislation promises to streamline processes and accelerate progress. As the country grapples with housing shortages and the need for modern infrastructure, these reforms could provide the impetus required to meet these challenges head-on.??

The success of this bill will ultimately hinge on its implementation and the collaborative efforts of government, local authorities, and communities.?

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