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The Prime Minister David Cameron and the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg have announced a major housing and planning package that will help deliver up to 70.000 new homes, including affordable housing and opportunities for first-time buyers to get onto the housing ladder, 140 000 jobs and a boost to the construction sector and a £40bn guarantee for major infrastructure projects and £10bn for new homes This includes a series of measures aimed at supporting businesses, developers and first-time buyers, while slashing unnecessary red tape across the planning system. The measures include:
- Removing restrictions on house builders to help unlock 75 000 homes currently stalled due to sites being commercially unviable. Developers who can prove that council’s costly affordable housing requirements make the project unviable will see them removed.
- New legislation for Government guarantees of up to £40 billion worth of major infrastructure projects and up to £10 billion of new homes. The Infrastructure (Financial Assistance) Bill will include guaranteeing the debt of Housing Associations and private sector developers.
- Up to 15,000 affordable homes and bring 5,000 empty homes back into use using new capital funding of £300m and the infrastructure guarantee
- An additional 5,000 homes built for rent at market rates in line with proposals outlined in Sir Adrian Montague’s report to Government on boosting the private rented sector
- Thousands of big commercial and residential applications to be directed to a major infrastructure fast track and where councils are poor developers can opt to have their decision taken by the Planning Inspectorate.
- Calling time on poor performing town hall planning departments, putting the worst into ‘special measures’ if they have failed to improve the speed and quality of their work and allowing developers to bypass councils. More applications also will go into a fast track appeal process.
- 16,500 first-time buyers helped with a £280m extension of the successful ‘FirstBuy’ scheme, which offers aspiring homeowners a much-needed deposit and a crucial first step on the housing ladder.
- For a time limited period, slashing planning red tape, including sweeping away the rules and bureaucracy that prevent families and businesses from making improvements to their properties, helping tens of thousands of home owners and companies.
The Prime Minister David Cameron said “The measures announced today show this Government is serious about rolling its sleeves up and doing it all it can to kick-start the economy. Some of the proposals are controversial; others have been a long time in coming. But along with our Housing Strategy, they provide a comprehensive plan to unleash one of the biggest home building programmes this country has seen in a generation. That means more investment around the county; more jobs for our people; and more young families able to realise their dreams and get on the housing ladder.”
The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: “This is a Coalition Government, determined to get on with the job of delivering a healthier economy. Today’s major boost to housing and planning will make it easier to build a home, easier to buy a first home and easier to extend a home. A boost that will get Britain building again. Building thousands of affordable homes and generating thousands of new jobs.”
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Rachel Reeves responding to government announcements on planning and house building today, said: “With our economy in a double-dip recession and a serious housing crisis, the Government are kidding themselves if they think these announcements are up to the scale of the challenge. “We need to get Britain building again, but the Government has slashed the housing budget and the number of affordable homes being built is down by 68 per cent. And they have failed to deliver many of the infrastructure projects they announced last year.
“The fundamental problem is not the planning system or Section 106 agreements for much needed affordable housing, it is the lack of confidence and demand in the economy, slashed public investment and the Government’s failing economic plan.“If Ministers really want to help home owners and small firms, why don’t they listen to our idea to cut VAT to five per cent on home improvements, repairs and maintenance? And why do they refuse to repeat the bank bonus tax to fund the building of 25,000 affordable homes and 100,000 jobs for young people?
The Green Party say they believe that a larger number of social housing will provide people with a greater choice of property, creating diverse, grown-up communities and ending the hold that profit-driven landlords hold over their tenants. Sensible housing policy through consultation, strengthened local councils, and renovation of empty homes will prevent further damage to our environment will ensuring that good-quality, affordable housing goes to those who need it most.
