Missing government data blocks development of homes

Poor quality and incomplete data in the planning system is squeezing housing delivery, with land that could provide hundreds of thousands of homes overlooked by councils. A new report from U+I reveals 348,000 homes could be built on brownfield land that is not registered as available for development. It added the number of potential homes is likely to be far higher and stressed that “accurate data is simply unavailable”. Local authorities’ lack of clarity and consistency in Brownfield Land Registers has led to “serious distortions” in the industry’s understanding of land availability, it says. U+I’s investigation found a divergence in the way councils complete these registers, with some sites excluded from local authority collections. The developer has called on the government to establish a digital taskforce to create a data-led planning system. It said members should be drawn from local government, property development and proptech companies. U+I has also urged the government to provide funding for digital specialists, as well as appointing a minister to oversee data and digitisation within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Malcolm Hockaday, director of planning at U+I, said: “If we are to recover our economy from the devastating impact of Covid-19, the government must make good on its commitment to deliver a digital-first planning system, underpinned by robust and accurate data. “We need this data to understand where there is a need for new housing and investment, and support those local authorities which want to build new communities and reinvigorate left-behind places.” To send feedback, e-mail emma.rosser@egi.co.uk or tweet @EmmaARosser or @estatesgazette Image © James Gourley/Shutterstock