Labour Unveils Ambitious Plan for 1.5 Million New Homes in England
- Angela Rayner, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, has announced a draft policy aimed at building 1.5 million new homes across England.
- This initiative is considered the first step in Labour's plan to tackle the housing crisis in the country.
- The policy is likely to influence upcoming elections and reshape Labour's position on housing.
The UK government has announced a significant initiative to boost housebuilding, proposing a shake-up of planning regulations that could compel councils in England to develop on low-quality green belt land if they do not meet new mandatory construction targets. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner outlined the plans, which aim to increase the annual housing target from 300,000 to 370,000 homes, in response to the Conservative government's previous decision to make local targets voluntary, resulting in numerous project delays. The proposed National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) will require local authorities, excluding London, to create new local plans by next year, focusing on the construction of more homes. A controversial aspect of the plan includes the review of local green belt areas to identify "grey belt" sites, which are considered less valuable for environmental protection. Any developments on green belt land will be subject to specific regulations, including a mandate that at least 50% of the homes built must be affordable. While the proposals have received general support from councils and planning organizations, they have faced criticism from Conservative members, who argue that the changes are overly complex and centralised. Additionally, the removal of the requirement for new developments to be deemed "beautiful" has raised concerns, as has the reduction of building targets in London. The government also plans to increase the cost of planning applications and streamline the planning process, focusing on larger projects while delegating minor decisions to officials. The initiative is expected to pave the way for the establishment of new towns, with specific locations to be revealed within the next year.