Celebrating World Town Planning Day: Developers Shape and Revolutionize Areas Beyond Raw Terrain
The housing crisis in the UK is a pressing issue, and the Labour government is urging action to unblock stalled new housing developments and meet the ambitious target of delivering 1.5 million homes.
To achieve this goal, Labour has proposed a series of key policy changes aimed at boosting supply, protecting social housing, and reforming planning.
One of the key proposals is the reintroduction of compulsory house-building targets for local authorities. This move aims to hold councils accountable for meeting housing needs and is part of a new growth-focused approach to planning that reforms the National Planning Policy Framework.
Another focus is the review and prioritization of development on local green belt boundaries, brownfield, and 'grey belt' land. This includes disused car parks and wasteland, which can unlock more building sites, especially in areas with high demand.
To streamline and accelerate planning approvals, Labour plans to increase council capacity with at least 300 new planning officers and create a taskforce to resolve stalled housing projects quickly.
The Right to Buy scheme is also under review, with measures in place to prevent further loss of social housing stock. This includes protecting newly built homes from being sold off, helping reverse decades of social housing decline that contributed to homelessness and rent pressures.
Labour also plans to implement a long-term social and affordable homes investment strategy, targeting around 300,000 new affordable homes over the decade, including 180,000 social rent homes. This is funded by a £39 billion programme and supported by measures like allowing social rents to grow by CPI+1% annually to enable borrowing and reinvestment by social landlords.
Additional financial support and certainty for Registered Providers are also proposed through schemes offering over £1 billion in remediation funding and £2.5 billion in low-interest loans to drive new affordable development and improve existing stock.
Ministerial intervention is also seen as a tool to unblock planning issues that affect regional and national economy growth potentials.
While these policies address both supply constraints (planning reform, land release, building targets) and demand-side pressures (protecting social housing, funding investment), industry voices acknowledge that the target of 1.5 million homes in five years remains a significant challenge. The pace of delivery will also depend on political will and local resistance, especially regarding greenbelt development.
This year's World Town Planning Day focuses on the role of planning and planners in delivering equitable, inclusive, and sustainable housing solutions. A more permissive approach is proposed to strategic planning, particularly to settlement boundary policies that are unduly restrictive and frustrate growth. Funding for the delivery of genuinely affordable homes is considered crucial, and the revised National Planning Policy Framework is considered key to unlocking land for development.
Streamlining processes and reforming delegation powers to local planning authorities are also considered important, but they require greater resources for local planning authorities. Lanpro, an independent consultancy, is examining whether significant changes are necessary to meet this target. Flexibility is also proposed for extending funding awards for affordable homes beyond March 2026.
The current Green Paper Invest 2035: the UK’s modern industrial strategy is cited as a starting point for this process. Tom Pike, Director of Planning, expresses optimism about addressing the housing crisis following the general election.
- The Labour government is considering a long-term investment strategy in social and affordable housing, aiming to create around 300,000 new affordable homes over a decade, including 180,000 social rent homes, funded by a £39 billion program.
- To streamline and speed up planning approvals, Labour has plans to increase council capacity with at least 300 new planning officers and create a taskforce to resolve stalled housing projects promptly.
- In an effort to boost housing supply, Labour is proposing a reformation of the National Planning Policy Framework, emphasizing a new growth-focused approach to planning that includes compulsory house-building targets for local authorities.
- The housing crisis discussion also involves the review of the Right to Buy scheme, with measures to protect newly built homes from being sold off, as part of an effort to prevent further loss of social housing stock and challenge decades of social housing decline.
