Housing White Paper: A Planner’s View

The Government says at least 250,000 new homes are needed each year to keep pace with demand and councils and developers need to "get real" to the scale of the challenge. 

Another key factor is the consideration of housing need by Local Authorities. The White Paper proposes that a ‘one rule fits all’ calculation for determining how many houses a Local Authority has to build will be agrees. 

At present, Objectively Assessed Housing Need (OAN), which informs an area’s Local Plan, can be calculated using a number of methodologies – and this, in turn, leads to many challenges when it comes to examining Local Plans and can even lead to the Local Plan being thrown out by Inspectors. 

In light of this - anything that makes calculating the OAN more transparent and matter of fact will help the Local Plan process. This in turn could speed up the delivery of housing, as once a site is allocated a developer is more likely to apply for permission and thus develop.

Overall, the proposals in the White Paper regarding planning could probably go further to bring about significant change, but they are a step in the right direction. If they can be shown to deliver real improvements in planning, then it would make a good case for the other changes suggested. 

The White Paper Consultation runs until May 7th, until which time interested parties can comment on the ideas put forward in the document. 

Questions that will be considered include: 

• Forcing councils to produce an up-to-date plan for housing demand
• Expecting developers to avoid "low-density" housing where land availability is short
• Encouraging the extension of buildings upwards in urban areas
• Reducing the time allowed between planning permission and the start of building from three to two years
• Using a £3bn fund to help smaller building firms challenge major developers, including support for off-site construction, where parts of buildings are assembled in a factory
• A "lifetime ISA" to help first-time buyers save for a deposit
• Maintaining protection for the green belt, which can only be built on "in exceptional circumstances"
• Introducing banning orders "to remove the worst landlords or agents from operating"
• Banning letting agents' fees