Written statement on Next phase of planning reform - Nov 18

Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Steve Reed):The Government is committed to building 1.5 million homes in England this Parliament. This will require housebuilding at levels not seen in over 50 years, but it is essential to restore the dream of home ownership and ensure every family can access a safe, decent, and affordable home.

Meeting this commitment requires a combination of ambition and resolve: ambition in the scale of our reforms, and resolve to see them through. We have already taken significant action – including introducing mandatory and higher housing targets, modernising Green Belt policy, taking the Planning and Infrastructure Bill through its final phases, and accelerating growth-supporting infrastructure. It is now time to press ahead with our next phase of reform – going further on fixing the foundations, transforming the housing market and building homes for those who need them most.

Over the coming weeks, I will set out the actions that comprise this next phase of reform. That starts today, with three pro-growth planning reforms designed to accelerate house building: unleashing development around rail stations; intervening to support growth; and streamlining the statutory consultee system.

Unleashing development around rail stations

First, development of the right quality and density around train stations enables working families to benefit from greater opportunities to live in close proximity to transport hubs – saving them time and money – alongside unlocking more opportunities for jobs, education, and sustainable growth.

That is why – as part of a revised, more rules-based National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) – the Government intends to provide a “default yes” to suitable planning applications for development within a reasonable walking distance of well-connected stations. This will give greater certainty for housebuilders, allow development to be approved more quickly, and unlock tens of thousands of new homes during this Parliament.

This new policy will form part of the consultation on a revised NPPF by the end of the year, and will apply to land around both train and tram stations with a sufficient frequency of services. Recognising the significant benefits for jobs and growth that can be unlocked by building around train stations, these rules will extend to land within the Green Belt – continuing efforts to ensure that a policy designed in the middle of the last century is updated to work today. As with other Green Belt land, the Golden Rules would apply – ensuring higher levels of affordable housing, local infrastructure and green space are provided to local communities.

The new approach will apply equally across all local authorities, so that these benefits are realised across the country.

Intervening to support growth

Second, while planning decisions are principally for local authorities, I hold powers that allow me to take over applications and determine them directly – ensuring the right decisions are taken in the local and national interest.

Given the scale of the housing crisis, and the imperative of building the homes we need, I want to use these powers in a more focused and active way. I will require local authorities to notify me where they intend to refuse an application for 150 homes or more – providing me with the opportunity to decide whether to take it over.

This will be enforced through a new Consultation Direction and a change to legislation, and supported by a revised call-in and recovery policy.

The Government will also commence new provisions that allow called-in applications to be dealt with faster through written representations, rather than requiring an inquiry, where requested by the main parties.

Streamlining statutory consultees

Third, the statutory consultee system requires reform. Statutory consultees play a crucial role in the planning system by providing expert advice on significant environmental, transport, safety, cultural and heritage issues, ensuring informed and balanced decision-making. However, a lack of clarity in the requirements for consultation and an overreliance on statutory advice can contribute to delays and inefficiencies in the planning process.

That is why we want to ensure they offer practical, timely advice, focused on what is necessary for development approval. To that end, the Government is today publishing a consultation that proposes the removal of Sport England, The Gardens Trust, and Theatres Trust as statutory consultees in planning applications to help rationalise the planning system, as set out in the Written Ministerial Statement on the Reform of the Statutory Consultation System of March 10. Since the spring, we have also worked with key statutory consultees to develop broader reforms, which aim to cut applications requiring input from bodies such as Highways England and Active Travel England by up to 40%, saving time and effort for developers and councils.

We expect that these reforms to the planning system will reduce delays and uncertainty in the process and remove bottlenecks to economic growth.

Wider acceleration plan

These three changes are necessary but not sufficient if we are to reach our goal of building 1.5 million homes in this Parliament – which is why they mark only the initial steps in our second phase of reform. I will set out more detail on my wider acceleration plan before the end of the year, including publishing a revised version of the NPPF for consultation that establishes a more rules-based planning system, including our policy on unlocking development around rail.