Cameron rolls up sleeves to “get Britain building” O The much anticipated announcement on planning and housing was made on 6 September, jointly by the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, together with Communities and Local Government Minister Eric Pickles. The measures, it is claimed, will help to deliver up to 70,000 new homes, including affordable housing and opportunities for first-time buyers to get onto the housing ladder. The result will be 140,000 new jobs and a boost to the construction sector. The measures, says the Government, are aimed at supporting businesses, developers and first-time buyers, while slashing unnecessary red tape across the planning system. Specifically, they include: • Removing restrictions on housebuilders to help unlock 75,000 homes currently stalled due to sites being commercially unviable. Developers who can prove that councils’ ‘costly’ affordable housing requirements make the project unviable will see them removed. • New legislation for Government guarantees of up to £40bn worth of major infrastructure projects and up to £10bn of new homes. The Infrastructure (Financial Assistance) Bill will include guaranteeing the debt of housing associations and private-sector developers. • Up to 15,000 affordable homes and the bringing back into use of 5,000 empty homes using new capital funding of £300m and the infrastructure guarantee. • An additional 5,000 homes built for rent at market rates, in line with proposals outlined in Sir Adrian Montague’s report to Government on boosting the private rented sector. • The fast-tracking of thousands of big commercial and residential applications and giving developers the option to have their decision taken by the Planning Inspectorate where councils are ‘poor’. • Putting the worst performing council planning departments into ‘special measures’ if they have failed to improve the speed and quality of their work, and allowing developers to bypass councils. More applications also will go into a fast track appeal process. • Around 16,500 first-time buyers helped with a £280m extension of the FirstBuy scheme. • For a time-limited period, slashing planning red tape, including ‘sweeping
away the rules and bureaucracy that prevent families and businesses from making improvements to their properties’, potentially helping tens of thousands of home owners and companies. Announcing the measures, PM David Cameron said: “The measures announced today show this Government is serious about rolling its sleeves up and doing all it can to kick-start the economy. Some of the proposals are controversial, others have been a long time in coming. But along with our Housing Strategy, they provide a comprehensive plan to unleash one of the biggest homebuilding programmes this country has seen in a generation. That means more investment around the country, more jobs for our people and more young families able to realise their dreams and get on the housing ladder.” Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: “This is a Coalition Government, determined to get on with the job of delivering a healthier economy. Today’s major boost to housing and planning will make it easier to build a home, easier to buy a first home and easier to extend a home – a boost that will get Britain building again, building thousands of affordable homes and generating thousands of new jobs.” R
Industry welcomes new Housing Minister O As part of the Cabinet reshuffle on 5 September, Housing Minister Grant Shapps was made co-chairman of the Conservative Party. His place at the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) was taken by Mark Prisk (pictured). His appointment was generally welcomed by the industry, not least because of his background as a chartered surveyor. The NHBC’s executive chairman Isabel Hudson said: “NHBC has played a central role working with the Government on a number of policies, such as the Local Housing Delivery Group and Zero Carbon Homes. We look forward to continuing this relationship following the appointment of Mark Prisk as we enter another critical period for the housing sector. “The new Minister has a number of challenges across the sector. As our latest new home registrations statistics revealed, although
private sector housing registrations in the UK had their best month for over a year this July, registrations in the sector are still down 10% for May to July 2012 compared to the same period last year.” The Home Builders’ Federation also welcomed the appointment. Its executive chairman Stewart Baseley said: “We welcome Mark Prisk to the role. Whilst he has an unenviable in-tray, it is clear that he understands the scale of the job in front of him with his background in the sector. “We hope he will offer some radical ideas to transform the current housing and planning systems and tackle the housing crisis, providing economic growth and jobs and strengthening communities across the country. In his previous role he undertook some positive work to reduce regulation, a commitment his Government has also made with regards to housing and something we hope he will now deliver on.” R www.constructionnational.co.uk
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