Senior built environment industry figures have welcomed Labour leader Keir Starmer’s pledge to “get Britain building again”.
Speaking earlier today (10 October) at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Starmer outlined five missions that he said would “usher in a decade of national renewal” and give the British people the “government they deserve”.
He said that Labour would build the next generation of new towns and that the party would “bulldoze” through “the restrictive planning system”, which he said was holding back housebuilding.
He warned that the party would “fight the blockers who hold a veto over British aspiration. No more land-bankers sitting comfortably on brownfield sites while rents in their community rise. No more councils refusing to develop a local plan because they prefer the back-door deals”.
Starmer added that he wanted to build 1.5 million new homes across the country during the next parliament – to build or rent – and said that some of these homes would be built on green belt land.
“No party fights harder for our environment. We created the national parks. Created the green belt in the first place. I grew up in Surrey. But where there are clearly ridiculous uses of it, disused car parks, dreary wasteland. Not a green belt. A grey belt. Sometimes within a city’s boundary. Then this cannot be justified as a reason to hold our future back. We will take this fight on.”
Reacting to Starmer’s speech, Melanie Leech, chief executive of the British Property Federation, said: “Politicians of all parties now recognise the central role of an efficient and effective planning system to deliver infrastructure, thriving communities, decent homes and jobs. We welcome Labour’s focus on planning and housing in Liverpool this week and their commitment to a clear target for delivering homes of all tenures.
“Billions of pounds of investment can be unlocked by accelerating the development of brownfield sites and we look forward to discussing the detail of the proposed ‘planning passports’ with Labour to ensure that we maximise their potential to accelerate development and deliver high quality homes and amenities that meet local needs.
“Our members invest for the long term and the vision of a new generation of thriving new towns is one we support as part of a comprehensive strategy to build the homes and sustainable communities the country needs.”
Mark Allan, chief executive of Landsec, added: “We have been advocating for an approach to planning reform that prioritises action around brownfield urban regeneration, that resources the system more effectively and that recognises the particular challenges of developing within urban areas. Doing so will help unlock more economic growth, speed up the delivery of new homes and create jobs around the country. The ideas set out today would definitely move things in the right direction.”
A spokesperson for RICS said: “RICS supports the declared intention to build 1.5 million new homes and establish a generation of new towns. Suggestions of reform to local planning laws, making development more accessible, are also promising. RICS goes further and calls for an evidence-led review of the green belt, and the investigation of ‘brownfield’ and ‘greyfield’ sites suggested in the speech is a step in the right direction.
“Supposing these plans were put in place, local authorities’ planning departments need full and proper resourcing to tackle backlogs, produce up-to-date plans, mitigate staff turnover, and ensure a properly functioning enforcement apparatus. The skills agenda is a crucial element of developing a sustainable economy. The announcement of plans to create a National Wealth Fund and establish a series of new technical colleges could help fill significant skills gaps in the built environment. RICS looks forward to continuing its dialogue with the parties ahead of the next general election.”
Olivia Harris, chief executive at Dolphin Living, said: “While we clearly welcome the strong emphasis placed on housing and the delivery of more affordable homes by the Labour Party, there needs to be greater focus on ensuring that the proposals deliver a broad range of new homes, not just social or market housing.
“Intermediate housing, such as discount market rent, has a critical role to play in not only ensuring we have the capacity to grow our economy through retaining economically key workers, but is vital to supporting our public services like the NHS. We already have strong relationships with Labour local authorities and the Mayor of London who understand the importance of such housing and we will be vital partners in ensuring that any housing proposals are a success.”
Marc Vlessing, CEX of Pocket Living, added: “It’s clear that Labour finally seems to get housing and the imperative for radical reform of the planning system and the arcane position around legal challenge. This is vital if the UK is to return to a positive trajectory of economic growth and rising prosperity. By making housing centre stage we are seeing a clear commitment to both expanding the supply of new homes, but also making them more affordable.
“This is critical, especially in London and other major cities where key ‘city-makers’ are literally being driven out by rapidly rising rents and an inability to get onto the ladder. But for now Labour must show that they can deliver, as after all they are the largest party in local government and run the majority of our cities. They must start in earnest now at a local level to show that they really are up for this challenge.”
Claire Petricca-Riding, head of planning and environment at Irwin Mitchell, said: “What the country needs is a vision, a strategy showing a new direction after the cancelling of HS2 or what some have described as ‘cancelling the future’. What Labour says it will provide is the framework to build a new Britain and at the heart of it will be the increase in housing – providing a safe home for all generations – to get Britain building over the next decade – a decade of national renewal. The plan? To create 1.5 million homes over the next Parliament – to buy or rent – with communities having a say on how these homes should be delivered.
“This will mean a new generation of new towns near cities and the release of land in the not so green – all the shades of grey – green belt as well as providing additional powers to local authorities and establishing a new presumption in favour of development or a ‘planning passport’ on brownfield land as long as design principles are met.
“This will be welcome news to a sector where the last year of uncertainty, raising inflation and interest rates as well as the near collapse of local plans means that planning applications for housing developments have fallen to a record low. It is certainly a bold statement from the opposition – selling a vision and strategy – ‘together we fix tomorrow’s challenges today’.”
