Labour tell house builders to “get on and build or there will be be consequences”
News / Sun 25th May 2025 at 08:59am
DEPUTY prime minister Angela Rayner has told house builders to ‘get on and build’ as the Government introduces delivery timeframes for developers reports the Local Government Association.
The Government’s new proposal to speed up housebuilding projects aims to address the housing crisis ‘by incentivising a model that works for developers and communities.’
According to the new rules, house builders must develop homes on ‘consented sites’ after securing planning permission, whilst providing the council with annual progress reports to prove their efforts in committing to delivery timeframes.
Many people in Harlow will look to the empty parcel of land that once was The Square and woodier whether that will ever be built on?
Here is a film of the land from 2022. It was tragically in tune with the Joni Mitchell song “Big Yellow Taxi”. “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot”.
The Government has also implemented a ‘Delayed Homes Penalty’ to ensure those who repeatedly fail to meet delivery demands are unable to secure future building permissions from local authorities.
To support councils in the delivery of new homes, the new housebuilding rules will see that the money amounting from unbuilt homes is paid back to local planning authorities.
Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary, Angela Rayner said: ‘This Government has taken radical steps to overhaul the planning system to get Britain building again after years of inaction. In the name of delivering security for working people, we are backing the builders not the blockers. Now it’s time for developers to roll up their sleeves and play their part.’
‘Through our Plan for Change, we will deliver 1.5 million homes, fix the housing crisis and make the dream of home ownership a reality for working people’, she added.
Cllr Adam Hug, Housing spokesperson for the LGA, commented: ‘Local government shares ambitions to boost housebuilding and work hard with communities and developers to deliver new sites. Too often they are frustrated when developers do not build the homes they have approved. While intervention of this sort is a last resort, this move is crucial to help ensure meaningful build out of sites.’
Ted
2025-05-25 09:31:33
Wheres the money coming from to build houses,apparently we are £60 billion in debt.
Tony
2025-05-25 09:55:45
Sounds like the plan that red Ken tryed to do with road repairs when he was mayor off London look how that worked out takes years to do road works instead off months all developers will do is put in a longer time frame so they don't get fined or built substandard homes and walk away leaving councils with repair bills and we're are all the skilled workers coming from??? 🤔
David Forman
2025-05-25 10:24:01
No mention of council housing. The key phrase about penalties for not building out consented plans is "those who repeatedly fail to meet delivery demands are unable to secure future building permissions from local authorities". There should a penalty which increases each year in every instance that sites are left empty. This is just window dressing.
Nostradamus
2025-05-25 10:35:49
Harlow got built in record time through the sweeping powers of the New Towns Development Corporation which was followed by The New Towns Commission. These bodies were in the driving seat and it proved highly successful. Whilst now developers and property companies landbank and delay and so multiply their profits as demand forces prices up. The measures Angela Rayner proposes unless accompanied with timeframes set by government and large fines on overruns simply don't cut the mustard. Additionally, if millions of decent Council homes were built at truly affordable rents then the price of owning a home would radically fall because if the Council homes were good and easily affordable the demand would radically fall.
Seamus
2025-05-25 11:39:10
Labours abject failure is demanding developers build 1.5 million homes but no targets for the real problem in housing, that being affordable housing. Also increased infrastructure is not matching increase building. Personally I'd like developers be made to build the agreed planning application's social housing and infrastructure first and then onto the private dwellings. I have not yet seen a planning application match the end build when it comes to a development.
Jennifer Steadman
2025-05-25 12:31:15
The new Labour Planning & Infrastructure bill in my opinion & the opinion of the Wildlife Trust is a reversal on Labours promise to protect nature & wildlife & is in effect a license to destroy local wildlife inhabiting plots of land that have been awarded planning permission. Providing developers the right to destroy badger setts that are 'in the way' of their development plans! https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/news/planning-bill-breaks-labours-nature-promises-say-wildlife-trusts-and-rspb The Office for Environmental Protection stated that 'Quote' 'the Bill would be a 'regression' of environmental protections, removing vital safeguards for nature and putting protected sites and species at risk.' Our wildife should be protected, nurtured, respected & loved at all costs, not destroyed in the name of progress. Yes, more social housing is defintely needed, but care must be taken to protect the wildlife residents when we are stealing the land that is their home.
Kim
2025-05-25 17:25:07
It's beggers believe, that the lawyer thinks every one can afford to buy... The truth tells a different story. The truth is there's absolutely thousands upon thousands waiting for homes, but will not be able to buy. If this government really cared about this situation, wouldn't they just build council ,affordable homes. No of course not, why, because there's no money in it for them. Which is why developer's lower the target s, for affordability. This situation will just get worse an worse.. Its this that needs addressing urgently. And as for telling the builder s to get on with it, are you telling me ,the lawyer wouldn't do the same thing, sit on land till price goes up, or any one infact, that are in that position to afford to do so.. You can not put quantity over quality, there's enough problems with new builds as there is. The lawyer would have to bring in an army to match his numbers in building 1.5 million houses in the time his saying. For starters you can not train a brickie in 6 weeks, carpenter s, electricians, bickers, at least 3 to 4 years... Ask your self why builds are failing, because there hiring cheap labour, cheap materials. You can not train good skilled people in a few weeks, which is what's been happening. And now they want to fine them thousands for not builder fast enough. It's a recipe for disaster for the brickie trade.
Realist
2025-05-25 18:13:57
To build one point five million homes, you need quite a substantial workforce to do it, anyone got a lamp with a genie in it to conjure up a workforce. You sir over there, yes you thank you for that lamp. I’ve now got the workforce. Aah! We have a problem. I’ve just been informed, we just don’t have all the necessary materials, bricks, tiles, wood, pipes, cement, etc, to complete this big ask. Hold on another problem, the workforce, have got together, and decided they need to be a unionised workforce, which they have a right to do. Yes but who said they can do that. That’s easy Angela Rayner, deputy prime minister, she put through legislation, giving unions these protections with the right to do so. They’ve already started collecting union dues, and now said they won’t be able to do any work whatsoever, until there new union gets the necessary recognition they deserve, until then they are officially on strike. Ever could somebody please let the deputy prime minister know, we have a problem. Couldn’t make it up, could you?
gary roberts
2025-05-25 19:19:22
The mantra, "build, build and then build again", is fine and catchy but without the infrastructure to support it means, "wasted money, following wasted money", doesn't it? In Harlow the infrastructure is poorly designed and cheaply delivered. In Potter Street there is currently two areas planned for housing development to my knowledge and a 36 space car park situated between and next too four housing communities including a residential home. And to my knowledge the residents' of Potter Street were not consulted on them. If they had been it would have been pointed out that the area currently has no doctors' surgery, and no council neighbourhood facilities including policing. Is that good use of money or just building for the sake of it proving that when completed an increase in ASB, poor housing and no vital infrastructure in place. The council call it regeneration but I beg to differ on all counts.
Mike
2025-05-26 01:28:15
Like many Labour politicians Angela Rayner doesn't have a clue about how things work in the real world.
gary roberts
2025-05-26 05:39:45
Mike, sadly she does.
ratboy
2025-05-26 07:52:48
All the new builds will have heat pumps and solar panels and EV charge points as a matter of principle wont they?
Adrienne
2025-05-26 14:08:13
I think Clare Rayner has a good idea Pointing out the missing money I hope the situation resolved itself quickly. I will be keeping a beady eye on it. While your around Clare.Any chance of movement on Pah 1. Get that big stick out poke it at someone please. Not me as I have had enough things poked at me recently.hugs.xx
Adrienne
2025-05-26 14:12:05
And a meaningful amount of Council houses. At least a third would be great. 40 council houses not nearly enough. Thankyou.
Ted
2025-05-26 15:00:28
Adrienne. I thought Clare Rayner died years ago
Realist
2025-05-26 19:08:47
They said they would build 1.5 million in this Parliament, the latest information is that has now been reduced to 1.3 million houses, very easy to bandy about these figures. But nobody within parliament has said, who they are building them for. Nobody has said this will definitely be Council housing, for our needy councils. So the headline of 1.5 million, could in fact mean that X amount could be sold to foreign buyers, which also happens now.
Adrienne
2025-05-27 05:47:22
Hi Ted,there is an old saying where there is muck there is brass. Petsonnallly,Ii don't really want to get involved with any of this crap. But I am here to nurture the downtrodden.i am a very kind person and always look for the best in people and try to nurture and educate. There is alot of greed and selfishness in this world. I hope to make a difference.. And in doing that I am sometimes misunderstood. People who really know me ,understand that.Thetre is a line.Crosd that line with me and I will turn away. At the moment I am putting all my efforts into trying to give the people that' lol be here.And have lived here more of a chance to flourish. I'm doing so I allow people to make mistakes. Give them enough for to hang themselves. Imake mistakes too. I am usually set up.Thats how I learnt who my real friends are. It sounds a bit complicated. But I have leant alot in my 58 years of being in this world. One thing is let the chips fall as they may. I am quite happy to live with this quote. I have only interest in my town. Our Pah 1 our services.Which are integral to it's survival.its infrastructure and the treatment of it's cut it's citizens. And I don't expect reward.Just a bit of respect and a few cuddles here and there.Which I get in abundance. I hope that gives you a little insight into me Ted. If you here anything bad about me ,I have probably been,set up. Used to that.lol.
Adrienne
2025-05-27 05:52:25
I apologise for the mispell.Ted.x. Please keep me updated to date with my spelling. I
Nicholas Taylor
2025-05-27 08:17:08
The simple fact is, the private sector has never built this country out of a housing crisis and never will as things stand. Labours headline of 1.5 million new homes in 5 years is just that. The housing crisis can be demonstrated as follows, if you want to buy a home in Harlow, take a look at Rightmove and (assuming you can afford to buy a home) there is plenty of choice. For all those who cannot afford to buy, there are hardly any to rent, which is why there are some 3000 housing applicants on Harlow Councils Housing Register. It is a sad fact that Harlow Council are as guilty as house building firms in leaving land vacant, the former Occasio House site has now lain derelict for over a year, as has the Sherards House site and others. Radical changes are needed to solve the housing crisis, neither two main Parties nationally are willing/want to make such changes.
Adrienne
2025-05-28 04:05:34
Hi Nicholas it is my understanding and please correct me if I am wrong that the council only gets percentage of the tax payers monies and they have to give the rest back. Perhaps a fairer share of the pie would enable towns to flourish. Harlow council are forever cleaning up messes and thankfully even though they are short of money it seems to leak all over place they come through as with the case of the sewage system recently They rarely get any recognition.(So thankyou for that) The problem is that because the problems we face are extensive.It is hard to manage the extensiveness. Unless the councils are allowed to put by some of this money.They really can't afford to do everything. Let's face it Harlow isn't the only town in this country. That being said because it has been ignored in the past .There is a massive amount of work to be done. I do know some local councillors go above and beyond for this town and are constantly working to keep it above water. So a bit of recognition goes a long way for their hard work. Otherwise they may give up the ghost They need more targeted.Money off the government . And I hope they get it and it is spent wisely .
Brian
2025-05-28 09:36:48
Angela rayner has almost everything,the only thing she lacks is ability.
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