An overhaul of the planning system is seen as an important first step, but industry experts have said housebuilders still face major hindrances when it comes to building more new homes quickly.
- Only a quarter of English councils have up-to-date plans
- Planning departments are insufficiently resourced
- Statutory consultees could still prove a major delay
Major obstacles still face developers in delivering new homes on a grand scale
Housebuilders still face significant hurdles in delivering 1.5m new homes despite the Government’s pledge to overhaul the planning system, claim industry experts.
Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has said if an application complies with local plans and national regulations it should be approved without gaining planning committee approval.
In an interview on BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg Ms Rayner said: “We’ve told councils, they’ve got to have those [local] plans. If developers follow the framework, the national framework that protects environments, looks at a number of different elements and also follows the local planthey shouldn’t be stuck in the system for years.”
However, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, RICS, has saidonly a quarter of English local authorities have up-to-date plans according to Savills figures.
RICS senior specialist Tony Mulhall said: “Local plans take time to consult on and update, and they also require significant resources, which we know planning departments are lacking in.”
He pointed out that currently there were 1000 planning officer vacancies, so the government’s promise to create 300 entry-level roles could prove difficult to fill.
“There must be a concerted effort on creating the skills base required to move forward with proposed planning reforms,” he added.
The National Federation of Builders, NFB, has said while the planning reforms are a step in the right direction housebuilders still face the prospect of delays.
NFB policy and market insight head Rico Wojtulewicz said: “Planning committees are not the biggest problem. This is because of slow officer responses, and an application process which is not consistent nor value for money.”
Statutory consultees could still create delays
He added that statutory consultees such as a local authority’s highways department, utilities and national public bodies like Natural England and the Environment Agency could create major delays.
For example, the council’s highways department can ask for a traffic assessmentor the planning department for an environmental assessment.
If an application is on a protected site with high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus the developer must prove they can create nutrient neutrality through wetlands, woodlands and fallow habitats.
Natural England has already flagged up 74 local authorities with protected sites where wildlife is in danger due to increased levels of nutrients in habitats and rivers. According to the Homebuilders’ Federation, 160,000 homes has been stalled since 2019 due to concerns about this.
Brokers Hank Zarihs Associates said development finance lenders were keen for SME buildersto gain greater planning certainty as ‘reserved matters’ applications could prove problematic.
Government planningstatistics show that, from January to March, only 19 per cent of major development applications were decided within the statutory 13 weeks.Just 38 per cent of minor development applications were determined within the statutory eightweeks.
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