“Councils want to work with government to reform and strengthen our planning system, ensuring it is locally-led, and that communities are able to shape their local areas, have their say on new developments in their neighbourhoods, and see they are supported by the right infrastructure. "
Responding to the announcement of a Planning Bill in the Queen’s Speech, Cllr David Renard, Local Government Association planning spokesperson, said:
“Councils want to work with government to reform and strengthen our planning system, ensuring it is locally-led, and that communities are able to shape their local areas, have their say on new developments in their neighbourhoods, and see they are supported by the right infrastructure. We also back measures to enhance public participation through a more digital service.
“However the evidence shows that planning is not the barrier to house-building. Councils are granting permission for 9 in 10 planning applications while over 1.1 million homes given planning permission in the past decade are yet to be built. Local plans are also not holding up the building of new housing, with more than a million homes on land earmarked for development by councils yet to be brought forward by developers for planning permission.
“This is why councils need powers to incentivise developers to get building where houses are needed, and ensure there is a mix of homes – to rent and buy – that are available and affordable to people that need them.
“To tackle the housing crisis, reduce homelessness and meet the Government’s target of building 300,000 new homes a year, councils also need to be given the powers to get building homes not seen on a scale since the 1970s when they built over 40 per cent of new housing. This is backed by Parliamentarians with eight in 10 MPs (80 per cent) we surveyed saying councils should have more financial freedoms and powers to build homes in their area.”