Propertymark seeks clarity from UK Government over how Planning and Infrastructure Bill will meet housing ambitions

Propertymark is seeking clarity from the UK Government over how its radical Planning and Infrastructure Bill will help them meet their ambitious housing targets of building 1.5m new homes across the next five years.

Announced as part of the King’s Speech, the Planning and Infrastructure Bill intends to simplify the consent process for substantial infrastructure projects by cutting the bureaucratic obstacles that can delay project approvals, and by unlocking additional sites for development that would result in speeding up housing construction.

Other crucial provisions in the Bill include funding nature recovery initiatives to ensure environmental protections are in place while developers build more homes, introducing compulsory purchase compensations to reimburse landowners who may be affected by new housing developments, and modernising planning committees to prevent delays regarding planning applications.

Propertymark has previously warned that for the UK Government to meet their specific housing goals of constructing 1.5 million new homes by 2029, then they would need to build a large housing estate with over 1,150 homes every single working every day.

While the professional body welcomes the UK Government’s bold housing pledges, they also need to clarify how they are going to assemble a workforce large enough to guarantee that the UK will have the extra 1.5 million new homes promised by the end of this parliament to balance out supply and demand levels, and ultimately even out house prices in the long-term.

Within any new legislation there must be transparency regarding any planned use of greenbelt land and a distinct framework that prioritises already available brownfield and grey belt locations for development first. A ‘connected communities’ approach must be implemented by design, which delivers affordable housing in key areas where insight shows demand and potential requirements. There is an extreme need for full stakeholder engagement and insight driven strategies to ensure an ever-growing housing demand is equally matched by a sustainable supply of the right homes in the right areas at the right time.

Nathan Emerson, CEO at Propertymark, said:

“While the new UK Government clearly recognises the need for additional new homes by the end of this parliament, an aspect which is essential if they are serious about evening out house prices in the long-term, it will take well thought out and applied legislation to address the vast mismatch between ongoing demand and current supply.

“To meet the ambitious target of 1.5m new homes by the end of this parliamentary term, there must be a workable plan to deliver the equivalent of a new housing estate containing over 1,000 new homes every single day. Propertymark urges the new UK Government to fully prioritise building on brownfield and grey belt sites ahead of constructing new homes on the greenbelt. We are keen to see full stakeholder engagement to help ensure the planning of such an enormous commitment brings clear benefits for generations to come.”