With the General Election now almost a distant memory, what might be the ongoing implications for planning and development under the Conservatives? Mike Derbyshire, Head of Planning at Bidwells, one of the UK’s leading multi-disciplined property consultancies, looks at some of the issues that need to be addressed and recommends actions to be taken.
The new Communities Minister Greg Clark faces the difficult task of fulfilling his party’s election promise to get more people on the housing ladder without fuelling a renewed property bubble.
The appointment of Greg Clark is in striking contrast to his predecessor Eric Pickles who attacked what he saw as wasteful spending at the Department of Community and Local Government (DCLG). It is thought that Mr Clark will take a less combative approach; however, the first thing on his desk is how to execute a set of conflicting policies during the next five years.
The National Planning Policy Framework
Greg Clark was the chief architect of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) so the prospect of any significant changes to policy seems unlikely. This is particularly so given that the recommendations of the Select Committees review of the effectiveness of the NPPF, led by Clive Betts MP, were firmly rejected by the government only a few weeks ago.
As we all know a flagship new policy announced in the Conservative manifesto was the right for tenants of Housing Associations to buy their properties. More details will emerge in the future to provide the new stock to address this and make inroads into the shortfall. However, there has already been opposition to this plan by Lord Kerslake who was the most senior chief at the DGLG. He said it “was wrong in principle and wrong in practice” and won’t help tackle the urgent need to build more housing and more affordable housing, particularly in London.
Green Belt
The Conservatives have always stressed their support for the Green Belt, although tempered with the reality of encroachment in the face of overwhelming development pressure. For cities such as Cambridge and London, growth and development are essential to retaining their roles as world-class locations, providing the employment opportunities and housing growth that is being demanded.
So post-election, it is imperative that decisions are made in the real interests of the UK’s place in the global market.
Localism v Strategy
The Conservatives remain committed to the duty to cooperate (not a duty to agree) with strategic issues being resolved at a local level. There is a difficult relationship between Neighbourhood and Strategic Planning and at Bidwells we do not foresee a slowdown in the number of legal challenges as more local and neighbourhood plans emerge. The Conservative supported Garden Cities, for example, must be planned locally.
The role of local interests appears to be a key component of the Conservatives’ planning approach, with a further rollout of neighbourhood planning and ‘bottom up’ planning for housing. This is designed to give local people the power to engage in genuine local planning by mandating all local authorities to use collaborative methods in drawing up their local plans. Over 1000 communities have already begun a Neighbourhood Plan.
Housing challenge
Planning and development are at the forefront when it comes to the housing market and there is a list of things the Conservative government must do to deliver the homes that are needed.
Firstly, there should be a new policy direction and a clear overarching planning and housing strategy, as housing is a long-term issue, which cannot and should not be managed by short-term initiatives.
The ambivalence towards house building over the last 40 years must be addressed by introducing a planning process that will help to release permissions for market, affordable and support the Private Rental Sector (PRS) across the board for young and old alike.
Actions needed
We believe that the new government should instigate a number of measures to increase housing supply such as supporting new Garden Cities and Garden Villages throughout the country, each providing between 5,000-15,000 dwellings; building on previously developed land close to existing and proposed railway stations or where improved road infrastructure exists or is planned; and releasing land within the Green Belt that no longer serves a Green Belt purpose.
Strategic planning needs to make a comeback to impel Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) to work together and government funding should pay for more planning officers to process local plans and applications. There has been a systemic failure within the planning system to identify an objectively assessed housing need in their district.
In summary, we urge the new government to instigate the full suite of planning initiatives to deliver truly mixed development proposals to ensure housing, employment, leisure, education and cultural aspects are planned comprehensively so that communities are created, not just houses.