The government has launched an independent review to investigate the barriers to building new homes across the UK and to try to address the shortfall in approved planning applications.
The review is being spearheaded by Sajid Javid under his new role as head of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and will also look at persuading developers with prime sites to release the land for housing.
Originally announced in the Autumn Budget, the review, led by Sir Oliver Letwin, will aim to explain the gap between the number of planning permissions being granted against those built in areas of high demand.
Currently, after planning permission is granted a variety of factors can prevent development from starting and slow down delivery and the review is seeking to determine why.
As of July 2016, just over half the 684,000 homes with planning permission had been completed.
The review will seek to identify the main causes of the gap and will make recommendations on practical steps to increase the speed of build out. Latest evidence shows that residential planning applications are up and that time to process major applications continues to be at a record high.
Letwin said: “This government is serious about finding ways to increase the speed of build out as well as tackling the complicated issues surrounding it.
“That’s why we have set up this diverse panel to help me test my analysis and to make practical, non-partisan recommendations, as we look to increase housing supply that’s consistent with a stable UK housing market.”
Among the experts who will be on the review panel are Lord John Hutton, Labour Peer and former secretary of state; Baroness Usha Prashar, peer with a career spanning public, not-for-profit and private sectors, currently deputy chairman of the British Council; and Christine Whitehead, emeritus professor of housing economics at London school of economics.
Javid said: “We are determined to build the homes this country needs, but currently there is still a significant gap between the number of planning permissions being granted and the number of homes built.
“This review is vital to helping us understand how we can build more homes quickly. All parties have a role to play in closing the gap and I look forward to receiving Sir Oliver’s findings.”
The review will be conducted in two phases:
- Phase I – currently under way – will seek to identify the main causes of the gap by reviewing large housing sites where planning permission has already been granted. This will include information-gathering sessions with local authorities, developers, non-government organisations and others. Early findings will be published in the interim report.
- Phase II will make recommendations on practical steps to increase the speed of build out, which will be published in the full report.
The review will also consider how to avoid interventions which might discourage house building or hinder the regeneration of complex sites.
