The government is hoping that hundreds of thousands of new homes stuck in the planning system or partially built will be accelerated to completion as part of its bid to address the housing crisis and drive growth, after the deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, yesterday launched the New Homes Accelerator.
An experienced team from the Ministry of Housing and Homes England will work across government and with local councils to accelerate the buildout of housing schemes delayed by planning and red tape to drive economic growth across every part of the country.
The aim is to hit the ground running by bringing together key players, including government agencies, local planning departments and housebuilders, who will work to resolve specific local issues and deploy planning experts on the ground to work through blockages at each site identified. This includes looking at barriers to affordable housing delivery where relevant.
Interventions could see the New Homes Accelerator provide resources to support local planning capacity where there are barriers and work across the board to make sure planning decisions are made in a timely fashion.
Government analysis suggests 200 large sites have outline or detailed plans ready to go but are yet to begin construction, and the team is already getting started on some of those that would benefit from early interventions. The Accelerator will focus on lending a helping hand to frustrated housebuilders and local communities who want to play their part to get Britain building again, in turn driving local and economic growth.
Rayner said: “For far too long the delivery of tens of thousands of new homes has been held back by a failure to make sure the development system is working as it should.
“This government has a moral obligation to do everything within our power to build the homes that people desperately need and we won’t hesitate to intervene where we need to.
“Our New Homes Accelerator will quickly identify blockages, fix problems and support local authorities and developers to get shovels in the ground.”
Further work will get underway to accelerate sites including Stretton Hall in Leicestershire, Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community in Essex, and Biggleswade Garden Community in Central Bedfordshire which have the potential to unlock more than 10,000 new homes when completed.
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The New Homes Accelerator was announced as part of the chancellor’s speech outlining the government’s national mission to drive growth in July and since then, four large housing sites are already progressing that will deliver over 14,000 homes across Liverpool, Worcester, Northstowe and Sutton Coldfield.
A call for evidence has been launched today calling upon landowners, local authorities and housebuilders to come forward with details of blocked sites that have significant planning issues, so the Government can better understand the scale of the problem across the country, in order to tackle the obstacles that are preventing the delivery of new homes.
David O’Leary, executive director of the Home Builders Federation, commented: “The planning process and everything associated with it delivers too little land and has long been a significant constraint on house building. Government has shown a welcome desire in the weeks since the election to address the problems. A lack of planning department capacity and misaligned incentives for other public bodies and statutory consultees has created a process with huge uncertainty. This creates an abundance of risk resulting in longer development timescales and severe challenges in particular for small and medium-sized house builders.
“Adopting a pragmatic approach to planning will increase the pace at which new homes are built and help to turn around ailing housing supply. Unlocking homes and delivering new communities will boost growth and support job creation while providing young people with access to new, more affordable housing. The housing market is complex and we look forward to working with government to ensure that all aspects of the housing market are functioning more effectively.”
The launch of the New Homes Accelerator builds on wider government plans to turbocharge housebuilding, improve local decision-making and modernise the planning system through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill recently announced at the King’s Speech.
This is alongside the government’s overhaul of the planning system that will see new mandatory housing targets for councils and bolster local resources with 300 additional planning officers.
Peter Denton, Homes England chief executive, remarked: “Through the Accelerator, and using the full range of tools and powers at our disposal, we will continue to work closely with our colleagues at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and our partners up and down the country, to accelerate key sites that have the potential to deliver thousands of homes for people throughout England.”
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Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, stated: “I’m delighted the government is working to unblock housebuilding as part of its plan to rebuild Britain and boost economic growth.
“I’m determined to use all the powers at my disposal to build the homes Londoners need and I look forward to working closely with Ministers on the action and investment needed to accelerate the delivery of new homes as we continue building a better, fairer London for everyone.”
Cllr Claire Holland, housing spokesperson for the Local Government Association, added: “Addressing the shortage of all types and tenures of housing, including affordable and social homes, in this country remains top of the priority list for councils.
“Working together to unblock stalled sites through the New Homes Accelerator will deliver more of the homes we need and help to reduce councils’ reliance on temporary accommodation and to tackle homelessness.
“This announcement is a positive step, and we are pleased with the Government’s intention to work in genuine partnership with councils and other key development partners to remove barriers to development whilst protecting the environment.”
