Housebuilding Issues in the UK

A House of Lords Committee has just produced a report entitled Building Better Places. A Government response is awaited.

The government has simplified the planning system almost to destruction, while its austerity measures have starved local authorities of cash.

• A viability clause means that developers can argue it is too expensive to build and give contributions to infrastructure and services, so they do not have to build to a high eco-standard or build so many affordable houses. 
• The five year land supply is a vague policy that allows developers to argue this land has not been provided by the local authority because, for example, not all the allocated land is deliverable. This means that the developer's land, which is not allocated in the local plans, can be developed.

Currently, permissions to build are up, land supplies are up, but not enough houses are being built. Why is this?

• In the past many more houses were built by local authorities than by the private sector.
• The policy for zero carbon homes has been lost.
• Giving housing tenants the right to buy was a move in the wrong direction.
• Design is sporadic.
• The housing target relies on speed and quantity, which threatens quality.

What should happen? Plans should be carefully prepared, brownfield sites given priority and local authorities helped.

The House of Lords is calling for local authorities to be allowed and encouraged to build again. For this they will need more funds - at present they cannot afford specialist planners.

Source: Feature by Charmian Spickernell (Campaign to Protect Rural England) in The Wiltshire Times, Friday 14th October 2016