The government wants to help property developers to overcome what it calls ‘tiresome bureaucracy’ by slashing red tape that stops derelict sites and unused buildings being turned into new homes.
Legislation laid in Parliament today will extend current permitted development rights, so that commercial buildings of any size will have the freedom to be converted into new homes – this means shops, offices, and other buildings all quickly repurposed, resulting in thousands of quality new homes by 2030.
The announcement is part of a major shake-up to planning rules to boost housebuilding while protecting the Green Belt.
As part of its long-term plan for housing, the government has announced today that every council in England will be told that they will need to prioritise brownfield developments and instructed to be less bureaucratic and more flexible in applying policies that halt housebuilding on brownfield land.
The bar for refusing brownfield plans will also be made much higher for those big city councils who are failing to hit their locally agreed housebuilding targets. Planning authorities in England’s 20 largest cities and towns will be made to follow a ‘brownfield presumption’, if housebuilding drops below expected levels. This will make it easier to get permission to build on previously developed brownfield sites, helping more young families to find a home.
A consultation on these proposals launched today and will run until Tuesday 26 March, and the government will look to implement these changes to national planning policy as soon as possible.
The government plans to introduce these changes in London as a result of poor housing delivery in the capital, putting rocket boosters under brownfield regeneration projects.
Millions of homeowners will also be empowered to extend their homes outwards and upwards, as the government is today launching a consultation on proposals that would see more new extensions or large loft conversions freed from the arduous process of receiving planning permission.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “We pledged to build the right homes in the right places – protecting our precious countryside and building more in urban areas where demand is highest. Today’s package is us delivering on that.
“We are sticking to our plan and are on track to meet our commitment to deliver one million homes over the course of this Parliament, and the changes announced today will deliver the right mix of homes across England.”
