Angela Rayner sets new housing targets in planning overhaul
News / Wed 31st Jul 2024 at 06:22am
ANGELA Rayner has unveiled an overhaul of England’s planning rules to help deliver Labour’s promise of 1.5m new homes by 2029 reports the BBC.
The housing secretary said local housing targets, watered down by the Conservatives in 2022, would become mandatory again.
She also laid out plans to make it easier to build on low-quality green belt land that will be reclassified as “grey belt”.
YH understands that this would mean 648 homes to be built in Harlow under these proposals.
Click below for more details.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn074jzzrkjo
Gary Roberts
2024-07-31 08:12:17
The sooner the right to buy is sent to the dustbin of history along with Thatcher the better housing policy will improve for those in England waiting for a council home. Rayner almost said the same. But the 50% on new developments is encouraging. Now get on and do it!
Resident
2024-07-31 08:18:48
I couldn't disagree more Gary, the issue wasn't 'right to buy', the issue was that Councils weren't able to use the money to build replacement houses until recently. Anyone aggrieved at people being able to buy their council houses at a discount, clearly doesn't take into account the years of paying rent, that probably add up to more than the cost of the house when it was built in many cases. It is also the only way some people will ever afford it. It's also a bit ironic that Angela Raynor is seeking to stop something she has clearly benefitted from. Talk about close the door behind you...
FreeWilly
2024-07-31 08:28:40
When will the government and local councils realise that the infrastructure including hospitals, schools, doctors, dentist, roads and utilities can't take anymore new housing. And who is buying all those new houses??
Edward
2024-07-31 08:48:29
An ill thought out scheme, along with the random greybelt scheme there's little sense in these blanket schemes that don't coordinate jobs, new industries with housing. What is needed are new ultra green towns with decent Council housing that can be places where new green industries can develop.
Mason
2024-07-31 10:19:21
I'm in my early 20s and I wish to buy my home in the future, if labour or any government scrap the right to buy scheme I will take my business elsewhere and go abroad, simple as. This country in recent years has a real knack for doing everything to not attract business and investment.
Edward
2024-07-31 10:32:01
Revealed today by Community Planning Alliance "approx 1 million approvals (new homes) already in the pipeline but currently land banked, and the CPRE estimate of a potential 1 million brownfield dwellings there is no requirement to increase targets." It would seem the property developers are the problem, hanging onto land and not building whilst the value of the land goes up. A heavy and year on year rising tax on land banked sites needs to be levied and the proceeds used to build new Council houses in new towns.
Nicholas Taylor
2024-07-31 12:47:05
Edward is of course spot on, thousands of acres around the country with Planning Permission in place but being held back to maximise the profits of house building companies. His suggestion to tax these owners to pay for new council homes is a very positive way in which to help provide more homes in both the private and public sector.
Gary Roberts
2024-07-31 13:48:31
Mason do you know what the right to buy did to some families when it was introduced? They couldn't pay the mortgage went into negative equity and lost their homes. They weren't helped and the tories just turned and walked away laughing. I witnessed it and those people either died or are still suffering today.
Guy Flegman
2024-07-31 17:07:06
If we do not have enough builders to build 300,000 homes how can we build 1.5 million. Answers on a postcode
Guy Flegman
2024-07-31 17:14:45
Some people also bought homes at market rate and went into negative equity and simply took on more work to make ends meet. At least you got a discount under right to buy as in many cases the tennant had already paid for the home in rent anyway. Also if you buy something you cannot afford, why would that be the governments problem. You are on your own in this life.
David Forman
2024-08-01 09:30:04
I believe Gary Roberts has misinterpreted Angela Rayner's parliamentary statement with regards to council housing: Hansards records it as: "Where land in the green belt is developed, new golden rules will require the provision of 50% affordable housing, with a focus on social rent..."
David Forman
2024-08-01 09:36:29
Mason should not think that Labour are scrapping Right to Buy. Rayner actually said: "We have already started reviewing the increased right to buy discounts introduced in 2012, and will consult in the autumn on wider reforms. We are immediately increasing flexibilities for councils when using right to buy receipts." It is a repeat of reductions in discounts from Blair/Brown's days, not a scrapping.
David Forman
2024-08-01 09:48:49
Rayner made a far more important point, but not reported by the BBC: "We will further reform compulsory purchase compensation rules so that what is paid to landowners is fair but not excessive." What is "fair" is open to debate, but economist Liam Halligan stated in parliamentary evidence in 2020 that it should be 50% when housing is permitted on it. See Rayner's speech at: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2024-07-30/debates/18DE72CE-0BE3-435E-87EC-73CDBD7DCAB3/BuildingHomes
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