Government initiatives for new homes

There would be up to 200,000 permissions for new homes by 2020
There would be up to 200,000 permissions for new homes by 2020

Thousands of new homes will be built on previously developed land in order to protect Greenfield sites and the wider countryside. The Government has delegated the initiative to local councils through its objective of Local Development Orders in place on over 90% of brownfield land suitable for housing by 2020.

Following the announcement in June 2014, measures have been brought in to support local councils to identify and record brownfield land suitable for housing, and to encourage them to make progress in getting permissions through Local Development Orders.

The result would be up to 200,000 permissions for new homes by 2020 (not including already granted permissions) across the country, according to historic data. These Local Development Orders can provide sites with outline planning permission to speed up the building of new homes. Furthermore, they can set out the amount and type of housing that can be built on sites, as well as assisting developers with suitable schemes. In order to support the first wave of Local Development Orders, a new £5 million fund will be launched.

Not only will this provide further housing whilst protecting the countryside, building more homes is part of the government’s wider long-term economic plan. Ministers are determined to enable planning permission so that building new homes can start as soon as possible. Yet, the usual safeguards of the planning application process will still be in place, with councils having to consider the views of local people and local needs.

This is coupled with reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework to ensure the use of brownfield land is supported, the expansion of Permitted Development rights, and changes to Community Infrastructure Levy rules which provide an increased incentive to use brownfield land.

There have already been results with over 700,000 additional homes delivered since 2009, as well as an increase in housing construction.