Gove planning shake-up: Vacant shops to be converted into homes

Jessica

MICHAEL GOVE will loosen planning laws to allow vacant shops to be converted into homes in his latest efforts to tackle the UK’s housing crisis.

The minister for housing yesterday revealed a slew of planning reforms as well as a further commitment to building over 1m new homes across England, which is part of his party’s Conservative manifesto to build 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s.

“We are unequivocally, unapologetically and intensively concentrating our biggest efforts in the hearts of our cities,” Gove said.

Nick Diment, head of retail planning at global property consultancy Knight Frank, told City A.M. the use of permitted development allowing commercial space