Proposals in this week’s housing white paper would see more than one-third of the UK’s local authorities forced to green-light planning applications.
In London, this percentage would rise to a whopping 84.8%, according to data compiled by EG.
This week’s white paper said that any local authority failing to meet 25% of its housing need by 2018 and 65% by 2020 would have to have a “presumption in favour of sustainable development”, effectively forcing them to grant permission for schemes.
The test will use local plans, where they have been completed, as a baseline for assessing housing need. Where these are not available, household population growth against additional dwellings will be used.
EG found that 125 authorities had not met 65% of their household creation requirements over the past three years under the proposed new test.
In London, 28 of 33 authorities had not met that criteria.
Outside London, other major urban centres are failing to deliver enough homes to keep up with population growth, with Manchester and Birmingham failing to deliver 50% of their requirements.
Nine authorities, including Haringey, Redbridge, Camden and Southend-on-Sea, had not exceeded the 25% threshold.
Lucian Cook, director of residential research at Savills, said the plans would create an extra burden to ensure local authorities are held to account.
“They mean local authorities are more likely to have to take a much more proactive approach to supporting development within their area of administration,” he said.
Some councils believe measuring using additional housing delivered, as opposed to permissions granted, is unfair, as once consent has been given, it is difficult to enforce build out.
Andrew Davie, development infrastructure group manager at Central Bedfordshire Council, said measures in the white paper to encourage developers to build, most notably permissions being valid for two years rather than three, would not transfer into increased delivery.
“Ideas about shortening planning permission do not make any difference; someone has got to build the houses,” he said.
“While [on completion notices] the word completion is misleading as it does not mean you complete, but take the planning permission away.”
Local authority obligations
From November 2017
Not meeting 95% requirement means local authority must publish an action plan.
Not meeting 85% means local authorities must provide 20% more land than set aside for next five years of delivery.
From November 2018
Not meeting 25% means presumption in favour of development.
From November 2019
Not meeting 45% means presumption in favour of development.
From November 2020
Not meeting 65% means presumption in favour of development.
Measures intended to facilitate housing provision from local government and developers:
Councils could be able to:
•Raise planning fees by up to 40%
•Introduce a fee for developers for making a planning appeal
•Receive £25m of new funding to plan for homes and infrastructure
•Target £2.3bn Housing Infrastructure Fund at the areas of greatest housing need
•Improve the use of digital tools to make planning data more accessible
•Set up locally accountable town development corporations
•Wield stronger compulsory purchase powers to support the build-out of stalled sites.
Councils could be subject to:
•New housing delivery test
•Standardised approach to assessing housing requirements
•Review of local plans/development documents every five years
•National policy requiring local planning authorities to identify development opportunities
•Requirement to have planning policies that set out how high-quality digital infrastructure will be delivered
•Expectation that local policies support the development of small “windfall” development sites.
Developers could benefit from:
•Pledge to tackle delays caused by planning conditions
•Change to the NPPF so councils know they should plan for build-to-rent where there is a need
•Streamlined licensing system for sites with great crested newts
•Design should not be a valid reason to object to development where it accords with clear design expectations set out in statutory plans
•Support for industry training
•Higher-density schemes.
Developers could have to:
•Provide more information about the timing and pace of delivery
•Publish aggregate information on build-out rates
•Build within two years of gaining planning permission
•Have previous track record taken into account when determining planning applications
• Click here for more news, views and analysis covering the 2017 housing white paper.
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