‘… children playing at shops…’
Labour will publish a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which will set out strategic policy on plan making and identifying land supply for homes. This is nothing new. The existing NPPF obliges Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) to maintain a 5 year supply of deliverable housing sites and locations for a 6-10 and 11-15 time horizon (S.69a-b). If LPAs fail, developers take them on via the appeal system – and usually win, but it’s a grind. From conception and design to winning an appeal it can take 3-4 years before a foundation is dug.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/669a25e9a3c2a28abb50d2b4/NPPF_December_2023.pdf
Rayner has said that ‘housing need’ – which is distinct to housing demand – must be calculated according the magnitude of local communities. Again, nothing new. It always has been… by definition. This is a basic part of a development planner’s training (I have worked professionally as a development planner).
Labour will introduce higher housebuilding targets for local planning and make these mandatory for councils to deliver. It’s revealing that Labour imagines that a target – in itself – will make this happen. It’s a ‘children playing at shops’ approach which reveals a lack of commercial experience in Labour’s team. Every government for the past 15 years has ‘targeted’ 300k new homes and none has delivered (total national ‘all dwelling’ completions fluctuate from 170k – 200k – of which about 35k are built by Registered Social Landlords). Capacity is an issue… of which more below.
Labour bemoans the fact that two-thirds of LPAs don’t have an up-to-date adopted development plan. I agree, this is a problem and is partly the result of general Tory hostility to planning. However, what Labour aren’t telling you is that correcting this will take longer than a 5 year parliamentary term. Preparing and adopt a local plan involves five stages – analysis, consultation, publication, examination, approval. It’s a complex process. Anyone who thinks LPAs can deliver new plans overnight understands neither the complexity of the process (defined by statute) nor the extent of commercial and public contestation prior to adoption. 100% local plan coverage won’t happen and even if it did it wouldn’t deliver Rayner’s 370k per year in time.
Labour intends to re-designate poor quality urban fringe land from ‘green belt’ to ‘grey belt’ to make development possible. This approach slightly ignores the historical fact that green belt as a planning designation was never about the quality of land itself but, rather, intended as a tool to prevent conurban coalescence and sprawl. Nevertheless, it should increase housing completions… but it will take time.
Labour wants to secure more planners – although 350 seems totally insufficient to me. However, an even more pressing ‘elephant in the room’ is the current inadequate capacity of the UK house building sector. We need more skilled construction workers. Rayner’s plans imply an overnight increase of some 85% in national house building capacity. It’s ludicrous to imagine that the government can click its fingers and magic this into reality. It can’t and it will take years to train and skill-up a new working population to do this… unless they intend to continue the Tories short term policy addiction of shipping in workers while Brits remain untrained.
One word unmentioned in Labour’s housing scheme is immigration. Naturally. There seems to be an official omerta in linking mass immigration policies to the necessity of finding somewhere for new migrants to live. And yet any numerate person knows that unless you’re expecting migrants to live in thin air, current levels of mass immigration put huge pressure on Britain’s housing stock. Current housing completion levels can’t even accommodate migration-driven housing need let alone provide for domestic-driven household formation. Ignoring this fact is a hallmark of the ruling political class. It’s deeply irresponsible.
In sum, Labour is embarking on a well-trodden path of posturing, wishing and regulating but not revealing – or really knowing – how its housing plans will actually be delivered. For that, it needs to answer three questions…
- Who will build the houses?
- What powers will they need?
- How will we pay for it?
To these questions Labour has no reply. These are the three glaring gaps in Labour’s plans… which the @sdphq has already answered:
https://sdp.org.uk/policies/housing/
Both parties dishonesty was on full display during the General election both Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak never dared to mention the I word Immigration this Government will achieve nothing in the next 5 Years Labour is unlikely to survive 5 Year’s in Office I give them 6 to 12 months before We endure another election the Social Democratic Party has a real Opportunity to become the next Government in future the rioting across Britain is a British Public enraged at this Political Class of arrogant entitled charlatans most of us despise the LabCon uniparty for the state of the Country We must get rid of them
This Horrendous Labour Government is already despised and deeply unpopular 3 months after winning it’s undeserved election victory the Conservatives rightfully got removed from Office after 15 disastrous Year’s I fear they will be in Office again in 5 to 12 months as Keir Starmer’s rabble will be removed by a vengeful British Public when the most vulnerable in Society will die in the winter months due to Starmer and Reeves callous attitude towards the elderly and the removal of the winter fuel allowance the Social Democratic Party could be that much needed alternative to another lousy Conservative and Labour administration not Farage’s establishment Safety valve Reform Party