Starmer promises to override planning blockers which could see new homes built on 'green belt' areas

Starmer and Rayner have pledged to build 1.5 million homes Credit: PA

Sir Keir Starmer says he will override planning “blockers” with new council targets which could see homes built on parts of England's "green belt".

The shake-up will see councils given mandatory targets to deliver a total of 370,000 homes a year in England.

The prime minister promised to “overhaul the broken planning system” as he, and his deputy Angela Rayner have pledged to build 1.5 million homes and take decisions on 150 major infrastructure projects this parliament.

Ms Rayner said the question was now where, not whether, homes would be built.

The updated national planning policy framework (NPPF) will commit to a “brownfield first” strategy, with disused sites that have already been developed in the past, prioritised for new building and a default "yes" given to developers wanting to use the land.

The updated NPPF will also define "grey belt" land for the first time.

Councils will also be ordered to review their green belt boundaries to meet targets by identifying lower quality “grey belt” land that could be built on.

Any development on green belt land must comply with new “golden rules”, which require developers to provide infrastructure for local communities, such as nurseries, GP surgeries and transport, as well as a higher level of social and affordable housing.

Sir Keir said: “With a generation of young people whose dream of homeownership feels like a distant reality, and record levels of homelessness, there’s no shying away from the housing crisis we have inherited”.

Around 1.3 million households are on social housing waiting lists and a record number of households – including 160,000 children – are living in temporary accommodation.

Green belt in Kent where houses could be built under new rules Credit: PA

The Prime Minister said: “Our plan for change will put builders not blockers first, overhaul the broken planning system and put roofs over the heads of working families and drive the growth that will put more money in people’s pockets.”

The Government announced £100 million of additional cash for councils, along with 300 additional planning officers, to speed up decision-making processes.

Richard Clewer, housing and planning spokesman for the County Councils Network, said: “Considering much of the new development will be in parts of county areas with limited public transport and services, it is vital the Government sets out ways to better capture the money required to build the necessary infrastructure.”

The Prime Minister last week promised to end the “nonsense” that allowed an “alliance of naysayers” to block projects or force up costs through environmental protections.

Shadow housing secretary Kevin Hollinrake said: “‘Labour will bulldoze through the concerns of local communities.

“If Labour really want homes to be built where they are needed, they must think again.”


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