Tag: Housing and Communities

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 24 April 2025.

Today (24 April), the government has announced the appointment of five members to the Building Control Independent Panel.

This delivers on a Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendation, accepted by the government, to set up a panel to carry out a review of whether to change the way in which building control is delivered in England.

The panel will be chaired by Dame Judith Hackitt, whose leadership of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety has already helped to shape vital reforms across the sector. An engineer by profession, Dame Judith currently serves as an adviser on building standards to both the UK and Australian Governments and is a member of the International Building Quality Council (IBQC).  She will be joined by four experts with extensive experience in the regulation and use of the building control sector: Elaine Bailey, Ken Rivers, Rt Hon Nick Raynsford and Dr David Snowball.

The panel members’ collective expertise will support a thorough and independent review of the current building control model, including on the Inquiry’s recommendations to consider the issue of commercial incentives from the system and exploring alternative options and approaches. The panel is expected to provide a report to the government this autumn.

Minister for Building Safety, Alex Norris MP, said:

“The appointment of this independent panel is a significant step in our response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. We need a building control system that puts safety first and supports our plans to accelerate remediation. It must also help to deliver 1.5 million safe, high-quality homes over this Parliament, and be equipped to meet the demands of a modern construction sector.

“Their work will play a vital role in shaping a safer, more accountable building industry, and I look forward to receiving the panel’s recommendations as they take this important work forward.”

The Chair for the Building Control Independent Panel, Dame Judith Hackitt said:

“The panel stands ready to get to work on this important review.  We will work at speed but we come at this issue with an open mind and a determination to further raise standards”.

Background on the Building Control system

The building control system is there primarily to oversee key safety standards set in legislation and ensure that buildings are checked and safe in areas such as fire and structural safety. Following concerns raised by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, especially around conflicts of interest in the system, a new panel has been appointed to look at whether changes are required.

Notes to Editors

• The establishment of the panel was announced in the Government’s response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry on February 26, 2025.
• The Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommended that the Government establish an independent panel to consider whether to remove commercial interest from building control and whether to move to a national authority decision model.
• The panel’s role is advisory and independent.  The aim is a report to Government in the autumn with a response before the end of the year.
• Further updates, including the panel’s Terms of Reference, will be published on GOV.UK shortly.

Panel members:

Elaine Bailey

Elaine Bailey is a member of the Industry Safety Steering Group and was formerly the CEO of Hyde Housing (2014-2019). Elaine holds several non-executive directorships, including at MJ Gleeson plc, a house builder operating in the North and Midlands; McCarthy&Stone Shared Ownership (MCSSO), a For Profit Registered Provider of older persons’ housing with a strategic partnership with Homes England; and Andium Housing, Jersey’s largest provider of sub-market value homes for rent and purchase.

Ken Rivers

Ken is a non-executive director at the HSE, alongside his role as a member of the Industrial Safety Steering Group. Prior to that he chaired the Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations Strategic Forum and led the tripartite group since its inception, bringing industry and regulators together to identify and address important matters of managing major hazard in the UK. He spent 38 years of his career working at Shell, through various different positions and was President of the Institution of Chemical Engineers.

Rt Hon Nick Raynsford MP

Nick Raynsford was a Labour MP for 24 years. During this time he held positions as Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Minister for Construction, Minister for London and Minister of State for Local and Regional Government. The latter included responsibility for the Fire and Rescue Service. Since then he has had a number of advisory and non-executive roles in the private, voluntary and public sectors. This included chairing CICAIR (CIC Approved Inspectors Register), the organisation responsible until April 2024 for registering private sector Building Control bodies. Nick is a member of the New Towns Taskforce, working with MHCLG.

Dr. David Snowball

David spent his working career in the Health and Safety Executive, joining as a Factory Inspector in 1984 and retiring 35 years later. He held senior posts in operational divisions overseeing HSE intervention and enforcement and was also responsible, as Director Regulation, for the quality of operational work. He spent 15 months as Acting Chief Executive before his retirement. He now sits on the Industry Safety Steering Group alongside Dame Judith and is a non-executive director at the Gangmaster and Labour Abuse Authority (Feb 2022- present).

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 23 April 2025.

Clean energy projects, reservoirs, railway lines, and other major infrastructure to be built faster, under changes to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

Clean energy projects, public transport links, and other major infrastructure will on average be delivered at least a year faster, as the government accelerates planning reforms to unleash growth and restore Britain’s rightful place as a world leader in building.

Burdensome statutory consultation requirements unique to major infrastructure projects will be scrapped, through amendments to the pro-growth Planning and Infrastructure Bill, cutting down the average two-year statutory pre-consultation period by half and paving the way for new roads, railways, and windfarms that will bolster the country’s connectivity and energy security.

Developers currently spend significant time and money on long, technical documents resulting in communities feeling fatigued and confused, which is a direct result of overly complex planning rules that are leaving working people deprived of the things their areas need to thrive. It also disincentivises developers making improvements to projects for fear of having to re-consult, even if in the community’s best interest.

Recognising community voices remain vital, the government will bring this process in line with planning applications for major housing schemes, and set out new statutory guidance to promote meaningful local engagement without repeating these flaws. This will allow changes to be made dynamically based on community feedback, reducing delays and potentially saving over £1 billion for industry and taxpayers this Parliament. These changes will help ensure Britain is open for business, attracting billions of pounds of new private investment.

This will go even further in streamlining infrastructure delivery through the government’s landmark Planning and Infrastructure Bill, as part of the Plan for Change to power and heat homes with clean energy, raise living standards, create well-paying jobs, and put more money into the pockets of working people and families. The reforms will also boost the government’s efforts to build 1.5 million homes by making it easier to deliver the roads, reservoirs and energy generation needed so we can restore the dream of homeownership to families across the country.

Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said:

“Critical national infrastructure is key to Britain’s future and security – so we can’t afford to have projects held up by tiresome requirements and uncertainty, caused by a system that is not working for communities or developers and holding back our true potential.

“We are strengthening the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to make sure we can lead the world again with new roads, railways, and energy infrastructure as part of the Plan for Change, whilst ensuring local people still have a say in our journey to get Britain building.”

Alongside statutory guidance for developers on applications, the Planning Inspectorate will maintain high standards for accepting projects – informed by community engagement. Local authorities will also be made aware of proposed applications so that they can continue to play an important role informing and advising on developments, as well as advocating for local interests.

As a result, local people can still object and share their views but in a more effective way, with developers given the flexibility to adapt their schemes as needed without restarting the process: reducing delays and costs for projects, including datacentres, reservoirs, and solar farms, while ensuring local people’s voices are heard.

Meanwhile the government is already taking action – consenting more nationally significant solar projects since the start of the Parliament compared to the whole of the previous one, including the Mallard Pass Solar Project in Lincolnshire, and making the largest ever investment in offshore wind, as we deliver our Plan for Change milestone of 150 decisions on major infrastructure projects by the end of the Parliament.

Examples of delays under current system:

• Fens Reservoir: Over 1,000 days in pre-application due to a number of issues including around consultation requirements, expected submission in December 2026, supplying 250,000 homes with water.
• National Grid – Bramford to Twinstead: 717 days in pre-application for 29km of overhead lines and underground cables.
• Hinkley Point C: Three years in pre-application consultation; Sizewell C spent around seven-and-a-half years at this stage.

Wider reforms in the Bill will streamline and speed up planning decisions, remove blockers to major infrastructure and housing delivery, and support environmental goals through the new Nature Restoration Fund to achieve win-win outcomes for both nature and the economy.

These changes build on the recent OBR forecast confirming the government’s planning overhaul, through an updated National Planning Policy Framework, will drive UK housebuilding to its highest level in over 40 years and boost the economy by £6.8 billion by 2029/30.

Notes to editors:

Carl Trowell, President of Strategic Infrastructure, National Grid, said:

“Consulting with communities and stakeholders will always be a fundamental part of the way we at National Grid develop and shape our projects. We welcome the Government’s proposal today which will ensure that consultation and engagement can be more effective and targeted. This will accelerate the path to delivering critical infrastructure while continuing to ensure the views of local communities are heard.”

Benj Sykes, UK Country Manager, Ørsted said:

“Ørsted welcomes the ongoing work of the Government to reform the planning system, including these changes to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Engaging and working with communities and other stakeholders in the pre-application stage has always been central to our work developing new energy projects and will remain so; the changes being introduced will allow everyone involved in these engagements to focus on the issues that matter to stakeholders and local communities, and to our developments.”

James Robottom, Head of Policy, Renewable UK said:

“This announcement represents a significant step forward for the renewable energy industry, as it will enable us to speed up the delivery of vital infrastructure projects to boost the UK’s energy security, grow the economy and help us to reach the Government’s target of clean power by 2030.  The industry has a long track record of engaging early and closely with local communities and a wide range of environmental stakeholders, and this will continue as we want to carry on building projects with local support by giving communities a clear voice in the decision-making process. We look forward to feeding into the new guidance that will enable us to spend more time engaging with key stakeholders on the most important issues for each new project on a case by case basis and lead to even higher quality engagement and positive outcomes for nature.”

Sam Richards, CEO of pro-growth campaign group Britain Remade, said:

“Today’s bold reforms to cut red tape and get vital infrastructure delivered faster are a big step toward unlocking clean energy, better transport, and the homes Britain desperately needs. Too often consultation is a long and expensive box ticking exercise. By slashing delays and encouraging real community engagement, the government is backing growth, investment, and the kind of national renewal we all want to see.”

Adam Berman, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Energy UK said:

“Energy UK is fully behind the Government’s mission to speed up the planning system, unlocking the investment in clean energy we need to secure our future power needs. More targeted engagement with statutory consultees will result in faster and more appropriate applications, allowing relevant public bodies to focus on planning applications that matter most to them.”

Richard Greer, Fellow, Climate & Sustainability Services, Arup:

“Building on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill with further legislative improvements will be essential to delivering the Government’s ten-year Infrastructure Strategy and its pipeline of projects across transport, energy, water, and the new economy sector (such as data centres).  A step-change in infrastructure delivery requires a comprehensive package of reforms that streamlines the entire project lifecycle.”

John Foster, Chief Policy and Campaigns Officer, Confederation of British Industry said:

“Access to energy, water, and transport connectivity remain major barriers to growth which if left untouched will hinder the government’s commitment to deliver the ambitious new homes and major infrastructure targets before the end of this parliament.

“By reducing the excess bureaucracy currently experienced by developers along with cutting down the decision-making time for infrastructure projects, the government is forging ahead with much needed reform to transform the planning system from an investment blocker into an enabler of growth.”

Kate DaSilva, Group General Counsel, Cornish Lithium Plc. said:

“The changes in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will help the UK build the nationally significant projects we desperately need, while ensuring that voices within local communities are still heard. At Cornish Lithium we are proud of putting the local community and environment first – listening to what is needed, answering questions and delivering for the communities near our projects. With the Government’s proposed changes Cornish Lithium will be able to maintain our approach, accelerate project delivery, build a domestic source of critical minerals, create jobs and grow the economy for Cornwall, the south west and the whole country.”

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 9 April 2025.

• Road to recovery outlined in new commitments for local audit reform to streamline and fix the fragmented and broken system
• Reform will ensure local authorities get their books in order to restore transparency, provide better value for taxpayers and create effective public early warning system
• And up to £49 million in funding announced to support local authorities in clearing the backlog as part of the Plan for Change

New reforms to repair the ‘broken’ local audit system will boost taxpayers’ confidence  in council spending and streamline the sector so it’s fit-for-purpose, legal and decent.

Today, 16 commitments have been set out to achieve this, including simplifying financial reporting requirements and increasing capacity to avoid reliance on a small number of auditors.

The reforms will be backed by up to £49 million of support to help councils clear their backlogs and cover the additional cost of restoring audit assurance. Releasing funds to councils will be reliant on compliance with statutory backstops and linked to the publication of audited accounts and audit fees being paid.

In addition, a further £15m of grant was paid to local bodies in March 2025 as part of an existing package to help meet the wider costs of meeting audit requirements and fees.

Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon OBE said:

We inherited a broken local audit system, not fit for purpose, inefficient, fragmented and with a massive backlog.

Taxpayers’ expect and deserve to have confidence in the way their money is being spent locally.  A functioning local audit system is the bedrock of local transparency and accountability so we are fixing the foundations of local government as part of our Plan for Change.

We are working in lock-step with local bodies to clear the backlog and move towards a simplified streamlined system.

The 16 new measures follow an open consultation on the local audit strategy, which attracted hundreds of responses.

The measures build on an existing commitment to set up the Local Audit Office as an independent and unified body, which will stop fragmentation in the system by co-ordinating functions spread across different organisations including the Public Sector Audit Appointments Ltd, the National Audit Office and the Financial Reporting Council.

These reforms will be crucial to fixing the foundations and bringing long-term stability to local government as committed in the Plan for Change.

Further information:

• Up to £49 million in funding for clearing the local audit backlog will be paid in two stages during 2025/26,  in the form of a non-ring-fenced grant. Allocations will be based on the size of bodies’ audit fees and the number of modified audit opinions received.   Allocations will be reviewed before the second stage of payments in 2025/26 to take into account revised cost estimates.
• Funding of £15 million for 2024/25 was paid on 31 March  to eligible local government bodies towards the rise in audit fee expenditure. This includes allocations to 537 eligible bodies allocated as a proportion of Public Sector Audit Appointment fee scales.
• The full government response to the local audit reform strategy consultation can be found on Gov.uk here.
• Following the 13 December 2024 backstop, the system has taken a significant step forward. The vast majority of bodies (approximately 95%) published audited accounts for all years up to and including financial year 2022/23.
• While the government has been clear the broken system requires fundamental long-term fixes that cannot happen overnight, decisive and immediate action has already begun. In July, we announced a series of backstop dates to clear the backlog of hundreds of missing and overdue accounts which resulted in 95% of audited accounts being published.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 11 March 2025.

Homes and key infrastructure will be built faster under Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Homes and key infrastructure that hundreds of thousands of hard-working people and families need will be built quicker thanks to transformative reforms to get Britain building, tackle blockers and unleash billions in economic growth.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which will be introduced to Parliament today (11 March), will see significant measures introduced to speed up planning decisions to boost housebuilding and remove unnecessary blockers and challenges to the delivery of vital developments like roads, railway lines and windfarms. This will boost economic growth, connectivity and energy security whilst also delivering for the environment.

By ensuring shovels can be put in the ground more quickly and projects are freed from unnecessary bureaucracy, these measures will help deliver a building boom that will deliver a major boost to the economy worth billions of pounds, and create tens of thousands more jobs as houses and infrastructure are built. It will make Britain a more attractive prospect for investment and development with a planning process that works for the builders, not blockers.

This Bill comes alongside wider planning reforms including the new National Planning Policy Framework and is at the heart of our Plan for Change missions to deliver the 1.5 million homes this country needs alongside 150 major projects, ensure Britain can become a clean energy superpower through building the necessary infrastructure, and help to raise living standards by ensuring working people have more money in their pocket.

People living near new electricity transmission infrastructure will also receive up to £2,500 over ten years off their energy bills, ensuring those hosting vital infrastructure benefit from supporting this nationally critical mission.

Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Angela Rayner said:

We’re creating the biggest building boom in a generation – as a major step forward in getting Britain building again and unleashing economic growth in every corner of the country, by lifting the bureaucratic burden which has been holding back developments for too long.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will unleash seismic reforms to help builders get shovels in the ground quicker to build more homes, and the vital infrastructure we need to improve transport links and make Britain a clean energy superpower to protect billpayers.

It will help us to deliver the 1.5 million homes we have committed to so we can tackle the housing crisis we have inherited head on – not only for people desperate to buy a home, but for the families and young children stuck in temporary accommodation and in need of a safe, secure roof over their heads.

These reforms are at the heart of our Plan for Change, ensuring we are backing the builders, taking on the blockers, and delivering the homes and infrastructure this country so badly needs.

KEY MEASURES

Planning Committees

Housebuilding will be backed by streamlining planning decisions through the introduction of a national scheme of delegation that will set out which types of applications should be determined by officers and which should go to committee, have controls over the size of planning committees to ensure good debate is encouraged with large and unwieldy committees banned, and mandatory training for planning committee members. Councils will also be empowered to set their own planning fees to allow them to cover their costs – with the stretched system currently running at a deficit of £362 million in the recent year. This money will be reinvested back into the system to speed it up.

Nature Restoration Fund

A Nature Restoration Fund will be established to ensure there is a win-win for both the economy and nature by ensuring builders can meet their environmental obligations faster and at a greater scale by pooling contributions to fund larger environmental interventions. These changes will remove time intensive and costly processes, with payments into the fund allowing building to proceed while wider action is taken to secure the environmental improvements we need.

Compulsory Purchase Reform

Land needed to drive forward housing or major developments could also be bought more efficiently thanks to reforms to boost economic growth and drive forward local regeneration efforts. The compulsory purchase process – which allows land to be acquired for projects that are in the public interest – will be improved to ensure important developments delivering public benefits can progress. The reforms will ensure compensation paid to landowners is not excessive and the process of using directions to remove ‘hope value’ – the value attributed to the prospect of planning permission being granted for alternative development – where justified in the public interest is sped-up. Inspectors, councils or mayors where there are no objections, will take decisions instead of the Secretary of State.

Development Corporations

Development Corporations will be strengthened to make it easier to deliver large-scale development – like the government’s new towns – and build 1.5 million homes alongside the required infrastructure. They were used in the past to deliver the post-war new towns and play a vital role when the risk or scale of a development is too great for the private sector. Their enhanced powers will help deliver the vision for the next generation of new towns – a new programme of well-designed, beautiful communities with affordable housing, GP surgeries, schools and public transport where people will want to live.

Strategic Planning

The Bill will introduce a system of ‘strategic planning’ across England known as spatial development strategies, which will help to boost growth by looking across multiple local planning authorities for the most sustainable areas to build and ensuring there is a clear join-up between development needs and infrastructure requirements. These plans will be produced by mayors, or by local authorities in some cases, and will ensure the level of building across the country meets the country’s needs.

National Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP)

The Bill will ensure a faster NSIP regime that delivers infrastructure projects faster. It will make sure the consultation requirements for projects – such as windfarms, roads or railway lines – are streamlined, and ensure the national policies against which infrastructure applications are assessed are updated at least every five years so the government’s priorities are clear. Other changes will be made to the Highways Act and the Transport and Works Act to reduce bureaucracy so transport projects can progress quicker.

The government will further overhaul the process by which government decisions on major infrastructure projects can be challenged. Meritless cases will only have one – rather than three – attempts at legal challenge. Data shows that over half – 58% – of all decisions on major infrastructure were taken to court, including windfarms in East Anglia which was delayed by over two years as a result of unsuccessful challenges.

Clean Energy

Further changes will make sure approved clean energy projects that help achieve clean power by 2030, including wind and solar power, are prioritised for grid connections. Some projects currently face waits of over 10 years. A ‘first ready, first connected’ system will replace the flawed ‘first come, first served’ approach to prioritise projects needed to deliver clean power, unlocking growth with £200 billion of investment and protecting households from the rollercoaster of fossil fuel markets, while reforming the grid queue will accelerate connections for industrial sites and data centres.

Around twice as much new transmission network infrastructure will be needed by 2030 as has been built in the past decade and Britain’s electricity grid needs a 21st century overhaul to connect the right power in the right places.

Bill Discounts

People living within 500m of new pylons across Great Britain will get money off their electricity bills up to £2,500 over 10 years, under these plans. Alongside money off bills, separate new guidance will set out how developers should ensure communities hosting transmission infrastructure can benefit, by funding projects like sports clubs, educational programmes, or leisure facilities.   The new community funds guidance means communities could get £200,000 worth of funding per km of overhead electricity cable in their area, and £530,000 per substation.

This would mean an upcoming project like SSEN Transmission’s power line between Tealing and Aberdeenshire could see local communities benefitting from funding worth over £23 million. Developers will closely consult with eligible communities on the funds and how best to spend them, to ensure a fair and consistent approach across Great Britain.

Mark Reynolds, Executive Chair of Mace Group and Co-Chair of the Construction Leadership Council, said:

For too long the UK’s planning systems have inhibited growth, with layer upon layer of checks and balances stifling productivity, confidence, investment and jobs.

These proposed changes show this government is listening to industry and taking reform seriously; recognising that new homes and infrastructure are necessary to inject life into the economy.

Our construction industry is ready to meet the challenge, and the measures highlight how mindful growth can support communities and our net-zero ambitions.

Neil Jefferson, Chief Executive of the Home Builders Federation, said:

The swift moves to address the failings in the planning system are a very welcome and positive step towards increasing housing supply. Removing blockages, speeding up the decision-making process and ensuring local planning departments have the capacity to process applications effectively will be essential to getting more sites up and running. If the other constraints currently preventing house builders delivering more homes can be tackled, the changes made to planning will really allow output to accelerate.

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the Federation of Master Builders, said:

The new Planning and Infrastructure Bill is a crucial first step in getting Britain building again. In the 1980’s around 40% of new homes were built by SMEs, yet today that figure is around 10%. Small builders across the UK stand ready to play their part in delivering the homes we need, but time and time again we’ve seen barriers keeping them out of the market.

We know from research carried out by the FMB that around three quarters of small builders view the planning system as the number one issue holding back the delivery of new homes, while lack of viable and available land are also major challenges. Supporting small builders through the planning system and reducing unnecessary bureaucracy will be key to opening up small sites, and today’s announcement will be welcomed by many across the industry.

Kate Henderson, Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation, said:

At a time when the housing crisis continues to blight lives across the country, it’s welcome to see the introduction of this bill. With more than 160,000 children in temporary accommodation, it’s never been more urgent to build the social homes we need.

Planning reform is an essential part of solving the housing crisis, and a return to strategic planning is welcome. A focus on certainty and enabling local areas to work together to plan for the homes, jobs and infrastructure needed in communities will ensure every area benefits from growth. Measures to reform compulsory purchase orders in the bill are also welcome, and will support the delivery of affordable housing and other local infrastructure such as GPs and schools.

David Thomas, Chief Executive of Barratt Redrow, said:

It has been clear from day one that government is serious about tackling the housing crisis, and it continues to take strong action to unlock stalled projects and reshape the planning system to deliver the high-quality homes and sustainable places the country needs.

We share government’s ambition to build more homes, to create good quality jobs and to drive economic growth. We look forward to supporting them on this mission and will respond positively to the bold reforms set out in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

Other measures included in the Bill:

• Streamlining the process to install EV charging infrastructure to help meet our net-zero ambitions
• A new scheme to unlock billions of pounds of investment in long duration electricity storage (LDES) to store renewable power and deliver the first major projects in four decades.
• Changes to the outdated planning rules for electricity infrastructure in Scotland that will streamline the consent process to enable decisions to be made faster.
• An extension to the generator commissioning period from 18 to 27 months to reduce the number of offshore wind farms requiring exemptions when applying for licences to connect to onshore cables and substations.
• Allowing forestry authorities in England and Wales, including the Forestry Commission, to bring forward development proposals, on the land they manage, relating to the generation of electricity from renewable sources– and to sell resulting electricity.

The Bill builds on work the government has already carried out to get Britain building including overhauling the National Planning Policy Framework, including new and higher mandatory housebuilding targets for councils, a comprehensive modernisation of the Green Belt, and far greater support for growth-supporting development such as labs and datacentres.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 10 March 2025.

The government has confirmed further reforms to overhaul the planning system and put growth at the heart of the statutory consultee system.

Further reforms to overhaul the planning system have been set out today [Monday 10 March] putting growth at the heart of the statutory consultee system and helping deliver the government’s Plan for Change milestone of delivering 1.5 million new homes.

Under new plans organisations such as Sport England, Theatres Trust and The Gardens Trust will no longer be required to input on planning decisions. The scope of other statutory consultees will be narrowed to focus on heritage, safety and environmental protection, speeding up the building process and preventing delays to homes being built.

“Statutory consultees” are official stakeholders legally required to provide advice on planning decisions to ensure developments can consider essential environmental, transport, heritage and safety elements. They play an important role in the planning system, but councils and developers report that the system is not working effectively.

The changes are part of the government’s ongoing stream of work to break down barriers to growth and get Britain building. They come ahead of the government’s flagship Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which will be introduced this week and will support the government’s Plan for Change commitment to build 1.5 million homes.

Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said:

“We’ve put growth at the heart of our plans as a government, with our Plan for Change milestone to secure 1.5 million homes and unleash Britain’s potential to build.

“We need to reform the system to ensure it is sensible and balanced, and does not create unintended delays – putting a hold on people’s lives and harming our efforts to build the homes people desperately need.

“New developments must still meet our high expectations to create the homes, facilities and infrastructure that communities need.”

The list of statutory consultees has also grown haphazardly over time and now includes over 25 organisations. Problems expressed include statutory consultees:

• failing to engage proactively;
• taking too long to provide their advice;
• re-opening issues that have already been dealt with in local plans;
• submitting automatic holding objections which are then withdrawn at a late stage; and
• submitting advice that seeks gold-plated outcomes, going beyond what is necessary to make development acceptable in planning terms.

Problems with the operation of the system cause uncertainty, extensive delays, and increased costs. This is due to the time taken to provide advice and the complexities sometimes causing the provision of over extensive or unnecessary advice.

In the past three years over 300 applications were forced to be escalated for consideration by the Secretary of State because of disagreements from consultees.

In broader examples given to ministers, a government department reported a two-year delay to a simple planning application on the government estate because of inability to agree a position with a statutory consultee.

In Bradford, a development to create 140 new homes next to a cricket club was significantly delayed because the application was thought to have not adequately considered the speed of cricket balls.

While noting the broader role that statutory consultees play within the planning system in facilitating high quality development, the government is reforming the system to ensure it operates in a sensible, systematic way, and does not create unnecessary blockers.

The government recognises the importance of these organisations and their value to local communities. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) will continue to apply and these organisations will continue to engage with the planning system through development of local and strategic plans, and through the publication of guidance and advice.

Proposed changes will put support for growth at the heart of the statutory consultee process by;

• Consulting on reducing the number of organisations, including the impact of removing Sport England, the Theatres Trust and The Gardens Trust.
• Reviewing the scope of all statutory consultees, to reduce the type and number of applications on which they must be consulted – and making much better use of standing guidance in place of case-by-case responses.
• Clarifying that local authorities should only be consulting statutory consultees where necessary to do so, and decisions should not be delayed beyond the 21 day statutory deadline unless a decision cannot otherwise be reached or advice may enable an approval rather than a refusal.
• Instituting a new performance framework, in which the Chief Executives of key statutory consultees report on their performance directly to Treasury and MHCLG Ministers.

This follows the decision by the Deputy Prime Minister and the Chancellor earlier this year pausing the formation of new statutory consultees and a commitment to reviewing the existing arrangements.

The NPPF is clear that existing open spaces, sports, recreational buildings and land, including playing fields, should not be built on unless an assessment has shown the space to be surplus to requirements or it will be replaced by equivalent or better provision.  These strong policy protections will remain firmly in place, with the government expecting them to be taken into account in planning decisions.

The government will consult this Spring on the impacts of removing a limited number of statutory consultees and narrowing the scope of others so they can focus on the most important applications.

This comes ahead of the introduction of the government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill this week, which will bring forward significant measures introduced to speed up planning decisions to boost housebuilding and remove unnecessary blockers and challenges to the delivery of vital developments like roads, railway lines and windfarms.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 6 March 2025.

More vacant shops and other commercial premises will be transformed as councils use new powers to revitalise high streets across the country.

• Eight more councils to breathe life back into high streets by signing up to tackle scourge of vacant shops
• High Street Rental Auctions let councils auction off leases for empty commercial properties
• Bringing businesses back to high streets and driving growth across country as part of Plan for Change milestone to kickstart local economic growth

More vacant shops and other commercial premises will be transformed as councils use new powers to revitalise high streets across the country, delivering on the government’s Plan for Change growth mission and supporting local communities.

Eight more local authorities have committed to implement High Street Rental Auction (HSRA) powers as the latest wave of Early Adopters, setting an example for other councils.

These are Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Broxtowe Borough Council, Camden London Borough Council, Hillingdon London Borough Council, Lichfield District Council, North Northamptonshire Council, North Somerset Council and Westminster City Council.

High Street Rental Auctions, introduced at the end of last year, give local councils the power to auction off leases for commercial properties that have been empty for long periods, helping bring business back to the high street and drive growth across the country.

This brings the total number of councils trailing the scheme to 11 – with Bassetlaw, Darlington and Mansfield councils becoming Early Adopters in November.

Minister of State for Local Growth and Building Safety Alex Norris said:

“We’re bringing shops and shoppers back to the high street, boosting trade, creating jobs, supporting our communities and driving local growth through our game changing High Street Rental Auction rollout.

“I am delighted that eight more councils have become Early Adopters of these new powers, acting as leading lights for other local authorities.

“We are committed to growing the economy and improving opportunities for people across the country through our Plan for Change, and thriving high streets have a key role to play.”

Small Business Minister Gareth Thomas said:

“We promised to lift the shutters on the country’s high streets and that’s exactly what’s happening across these local authorities today.

“We know that small businesses are the drivers of our economy, which is why we’re working hard to boost exports and tackle late payments, and HRSAs are another crucial tool to support SMEs, increase jobs and go for growth.”

HSRAs allow councils to put properties up for auction that have been empty for more than 365 days in a 24-month period, for a one-to-five year lease, reinvigorating town centres and giving local businesses the backing they need to thrive.

Over £1 million of funding has been provided to support the rollout of HSRAs and the government looks forward to more councils delivering with the powers.

It forms part of the government’s wider commitment to support high streets and small businesses, in line with its work to drive economic growth in all parts of the country and break down barriers to opportunity.

Supporting small businesses is at the heart of this government’s growth mission, and plans are underway to unleash the potential of small businesses all around the country. A new  Small Business Strategy will be published later this year.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 4 March 2025.

The government has announced £1.5 billion funding for 75 selected communities through the Plan for Neighbourhoods.

Local people to see their high streets revived, community hubs saved and public services transformed and strengthened through the Plan for Neighbourhoods, announced today.

£1.5 billion to be handed to towns across the UK to tackle deprivation and turbocharge growth as every area joins the decade of national renewal committed to in our Plan for Change.

A total of 75 areas will each receive up to £20 million of funding and support over the next decade through the plan, with ministers vowing it will help transform “left behind” areas by unleashing their full potential by investing in delivering improved vital community services from education, health and employment, to tackling local issues like crime. Transformation will be holistic, long-term, and sustainable to deliver meaningful change in the day-to-day lives of local people.

Communities across the four nations from Scunthorpe in England, Irvine in Scotland, Wrexham in Wales, and Coleraine and Derry~Londonderry in Northern Ireland are among the areas set to benefit.

This is the latest step in the government’s ambitious Plan for Change missions to grow the UK economy, deliver safer streets and create opportunities for everyone.

The Plan for Neighbourhoods doubles the scope of the types of projects that can benefit and is now fully aligned with the government’s long-term Plan for Change missions: breaking down barriers to opportunity and kickstarting economic growth.

Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Angela Rayner said:

“For years, too many neighbourhoods have been starved of investment, despite their potential to thrive and grow. Communities across the UK have so much to offer – rich cultural capital, unique heritage but most of all, an understanding of their own neighbourhood.

“We will do things differently, our fully funded Plan for Neighbourhoods puts local people in the driving seat of their potential, having control of where the Whitehall cash goes – what issues they want to tackle, where they want to regenerate and what growth they want turbocharge.”

Minister for Local Growth and Building Safety, Alex Norris said:

“When our local neighbourhoods thrive, the rest of the country thrives too. That’s why we are empowering communities to take control of their futures and create the regeneration and growth they want to see.

“Our Plan for Neighbourhoods we will deliver long-term funding that will bolster that inner community spirit in us all and relight the fires in corners of the UK that have for too long been left fighting for survival.

“This, along with our ambitious reforms to streamline the planning system, devolve powers and strengthen workers’ rights, will help get places and people thriving once again.”

In each area, the government will help set up a new ‘Neighbourhood Board’, bringing together residents, local businesses, and grassroots campaigners to draw up and implement a new vision for their neighbourhood.  Mayors will have a formal role in town boards allowing local people to take advantage of the powers devolved from Westminster.

Each board will decide how to spend up to £20 million – they can choose from options ranging from repairs to pavements and high streets, to setting up community grocers providing low-cost alternatives when shopping for essentials, as well as co-operatives or even neighbourhood watches.

By creating thriving places, strengthening communities, and empowering people to take back control, areas can now drive forward their own priorities.

Through our ambitious devolution plans already underway, creating the greatest shift in power from Whitehall to local areas across England – change and growth for every corner of the country is already being seen. Leaders with skin in the game are finally able to take the lead on decision making, tackling the issues that matter to voters, breaking down barriers to opportunity and boosting economic growth.

Further information

The Plan for Neighbourhoods delivers on the commitments made to these deprived communities from the previous administration’s Long-Term Plan for Towns, which it was confirmed at the 2024 Autumn Budget would be retained and reformed.

Ministers have also published a list of regeneration powers that communities will be encouraged to use, like the power to save pubs by listing them as community assets, and the use of respect orders to tackle repeat offenders.

Funding will be released from April 2025 with delivery investment commencing in 2026, and areas included in the Plan for Neighbourhoods were chosen after considering key factors including rates of deprivation and healthy life expectancy.

All 75 areas receiving funding are as follows:

Scotland:

• Arbroath
• Elgin
• Kirkwall (Orkney Islands)
• Peterhead
• Dumfries
• Irvine
• Kilmarnock
• Clydebank
• Coatbridge
• Greenock

Wales:

• Barry
• Wrexham
• Rhyl
• Cwmbrân
• Merthyr Tydfil

Northern Ireland:

• Derry~Londonderry
• Coleraine

North East:

• Blyth
• Darlington
• Eston
• Hartlepool
• Jarrow
• Spennymoor
• Washington

North West:

• Accrington
• Ashton-Under-Lyne
• Burnley
• Chadderton
• Darwen
• Farnworth
• Heywood
• Kirkby
• Leigh
• Nelson
• Newton-le-Willows
• Rawtenstall
• Runcorn

Yorkshire and the Humber:

• Barnsley
• Castleford
• Dewsbury
• Doncaster
• Keighley
• Rotherham
• Scarborough
• Scunthorpe
• Grimsby

East Midlands:

• Boston
• Carlton
• Chesterfield
• Clifton (Notts)
• Kirkby-in-Ashfield
• Mansfield
• Newark-on-Trent
• Spalding
• Worksop
• Skegness

West Midlands:

• Bedworth
• Bilston
• Darlaston
• Dudley
• Royal Sutton Coldfield
• Smethwick

East of England:

• Canvey Island
• Clacton-on-Sea
• Great Yarmouth
• King’s Lynn
• Thetford
• Wisbech
• Harlow

South East:

• Bexhill-on-Sea
• Eastbourne
• Hastings
• Ramsgate
• Ryde

South West:

• Torquay

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 3 March 2025.

The government has published the Commonhold White Paper today.

Homeowners will have a stake in the ownership of their buildings from day one, not have to pay ground rent, and will gain control over how their buildings are run under major plans to bring the feudal leasehold system to an end.

Plans to reinvigorate commonhold and make it the default tenure have been announced today. Unlike leasehold ownership where third-party landlords own buildings and make decisions on behalf of homeowners, these changes will empower hard working homeowners to have an ownership stake in their buildings from the outset and will give them greater control over how their home is managed and the bills they pay.

Supporting delivery of a manifesto commitment – these reforms mark the beginning of the end for the feudal leasehold system. The changes complement the Plan for Change milestone to build 1.5 million homes, combatting the acute and entrenched housing crisis by making homeownership fit for the future, by putting people in control of the money they spend on their home.

Commonhold-type models are used all over the world. The autonomy and control that it provides for are taken for granted in many other countries. It can and does work and the government is determined, through both new commonhold developments and by making conversion to commonhold easier, to see it take root – so millions of existing leaseholders can also benefit from this step change in rights and security.

Housing and Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook said:

“This government promised not only to provide immediate relief to leaseholders suffering now but to do what is necessary to bring the feudal leasehold system to an end – and that is precisely what we are doing.

“By taking decisive steps to reinvigorate commonhold and make it the default tenure, we will ensure that it is homeowners, not third-party landlords, who will own the buildings they live in and have a greater say in how their home is managed and the bills they pay.

“These reforms mark the beginning of the end for a system that has seen millions of homeowners subject to unfair practices and unreasonable costs at the hands of their landlords and build on our Plan for Change commitments to drive up living standards and create a housing system fit for the twenty-first century.”

Following the introduction of a comprehensive new legal framework for commonhold, new leasehold flats will be banned, and in the meantime the government will continue to implement reforms to help millions of leaseholders who are currently suffering from unfair and unreasonable practices at the hands of unscrupulous freeholders and managing agents.

The government has already empowered leaseholders with more rights and security – enabling them to buy their freehold or extend their lease without having to wait two years from the point they purchased their property, and overhauling the right to manage – putting more leaseholders in the driving seat of the management of their property and service charges.

Progress will be made as quickly as possible to make it cheaper and easier for leaseholders to buy their freehold or extend their lease, and to make it easier for leaseholders to challenge unreasonable service charge increases.

Changes set out in the Commonhold White paper include:

• New rules that will enable commonhold to work for all types of developments, including mixed-use buildings and allowing shared ownership homes within a commonhold.
• Greater flexibility over development rights, helping developers build with confidence and maintaining safeguards for the consumer.
• Giving mortgage lenders greater assurance with new measures to protect their stake in buildings and protect the solvency of commonholds – such as mandatory public liability insurance and reserve funds and greater oversight by commonhold unit owners to keep costs affordable.
• Strengthening the management of commonholds, with new rules around appointing directors, clear standards for repairs, and mandating use of reserve funds; and
• Providing an enhanced offer for homeowners – including requiring greater opportunities for democracy in agreeing the annual budget, clarifying how owners may change “local rules” over how a building is run and new protections for when things go wrong.

A new Code of Practice will set out how costs should be apportioned in commonhold, aimed at providing consumers with transparency and clarity, and the Government is committed to strengthening regulation of managing agents. The government will also launch a consultation to ban new leasehold flats later this year to explore the best way forward.

An ambitious draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill will be published later this year setting out the legal framework for how reformed commonhold will work.

Further information

Under the current system, leasehold ownership hands the homeowner the right to occupy land or a property for a set period which reverts back to the freeholder once this expires. It means leaseholders don’t own their property outright, are forced to pay potentially escalating ground rent costs in some cases, and have a landlord who determines how the building is run and determines service charges the leaseholder must pay.

Commonhold ownership allows people to fully own their property outright, with no expiring term or need to save to extend a lease. They can have a say in managing their building, and have the benefit of not needing to pay ground rent or have a third party landlord. There are no leases, with the rights, responsibilities and rules for all property owners set out in the Commonhold Community Statement (CCS). This “rulebook” establishes how the shared areas and facilities will be managed, maintained and funded, as well as the obligations for each person. It establishes a democratic system of decision-making and helps prevent disputes.

Each property owner will become part of a commonhold association upon buying their home, which oversees both the governance and management of the building unless it decides to bring in a managing agent – which will be accountable to the commonholders, not to a landlord, including the power to hire and fire them.

Through the commonhold association, homeowners will have a vote on the annual budget, which is for upkeep and for maintenance of the building, and on the charges they have to pay – equivalent to what service charges are used for under the current leasehold system. Homeowners will also be able to effectively plan for longer-term repairs or maintenance under commonhold, and vote on issues that affect them including adopting ‘local rules’ – specific to how they and their neighbours in the same block of flats want to live.

The government is pushing forward the majority of the Law Commission’s recommendations due to the benefits of this tenure over leasehold.  Initially introduced in England and Wales in 2002, commonhold has struggled to take off due to flaws in its legal framework, despite its success in Europe, New Zealand, Australia, the US and other parts of the world.

Key differences between commonhold and leasehold:

• Commonhold offers full freehold ownership – real homeownership – unlike leasehold, whereby a property is leased out for a set amount of time before reverting back to the landlord and homeowners have a lack of control over their building.
• Commonhold allows homeowners a say on the annual budget for their building – including how their charges for upkeep and maintenance are spent – unlike leasehold, where a bill is usually imposed on leaseholders by landlords often even after the money has been spent.
• There is no ground rent in a commonhold property, compared to older leasehold properties. The ground rent requirement for newer properties was removed in 2022 (2023 for retirement properties) through the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022.
• Forfeiture is not possible under commonhold, meaning a unit owner cannot be threatened with losing their home and equity as they can in leasehold. The government will also address the disproportionate and draconian threat of forfeiture as a means of compliance with a lease agreement.
• Commonholders have the power to hire or fire a managing agent who works in their interests, unlike in leasehold where one is appointed by the landlord.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 28 February 2025.

A new working group has been established to provide government with a working definition of Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia.

• It is the first duty of government to keep its citizens safe
• New group set to deliver a definition of Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia within six months as incidents of anti-Muslim hatred reach the highest number on record in 2024
• The definition will provide guidance to government and other bodies to support further action on tackling religiously motivated hate, delivering on the Plan for Change safer streets mission

A new working group has been established to provide government with a definition of Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia, supporting a wider stream of work to tackle the unacceptable incidents of anti-Muslim hatred.

It will advise government on how to best understand, quantify and define prejudice, discrimination, and hate crime targeted against Muslims.

With incidents of anti-Muslim hate crime at record high in England and Wales, the group’s work will support wider and ongoing government-led efforts to tackle religiously motivated hate crime – delivering on the government’s Plan for Change mission for safer streets.

Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, said:

The rise in anti-Muslim hate crime is unacceptable and has no place in our society.

That’s why we’ve committed to defining Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia, as a crucial steps forward in tackling it and creating a society where everyone feels safe and welcome.

The group will be chaired by Dominic Grieve KC, bringing his years of legal and government expertise to the role.

Dominic Grieve KC said:

We know Islamophobia is as challenging to define as its existence is undoubted. We need to balance addressing the lived experience of those who are victims of it and the right of British Muslims to feel heard and protected as equal citizens of our country, with the unwavering requirement to maintain freedom of thought and expression under law for all.

I welcome the government’s decision to bring forward this needed work and I am hopeful that this commission will come up with principles in defining Islamophobia which are compatible with those requirements and can thus help support positive change in our country.

Alongside drawing on their own expertise, members will engage widely to ensure the definition accounts for the variety of backgrounds and experiences of Muslim communities across the United Kingdom.

The group’s proposed definition will be non-statutory and will provide the government and other relevant bodies with an understanding of unacceptable treatment and prejudice against Muslim communities.

The group’s proposed definition must be compatible with the unchanging right of British citizens to exercise freedom of speech and expression – which includes the right to criticise, express dislike of, or insult religions and/or the beliefs and practices of adherents.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 27 February 2025.

How City of London saved hours of manual labour by using a Digital Planning automation.

During the consultation for their City Plan 2040, the City of London Corporation received 2,000 comments from almost 300 individuals—87% of which were sent by email.

To organise these responses efficiently, the Corporation partnered with the MHCLG Digital Planning programme to test an email processing automation designed to improve the handling of public consultation responses.

The approach

Following this approach allowed them to:

• automate response processing using Microsoft 365
• create a detailed SharePoint database
• make data-driven decisions without manual labour

 Understanding local opinion

Public consultations are a key part of community engagement, particularly in local plans. They help local planning authorities (LPAs) understand local opinions and priorities. However, processing the thousands of responses often received can be time-consuming and labour-intensive.

Developed as part of the MHCLG Digital Planning programme, the automation helps this by organising and storing email submissions. It’s a Microsoft 365 add-on, which is free for existing licence holders. It automates the categorisation and storage of email submissions, removing the need for manual data entry.

Reducing manual work

It simplifies the process of collating responses, allowing LPAs to focus on analysing feedback and making informed decisions. This significantly reduces manual work and frees up staff time for other priorities.

The automation can potentially save 1 to 2 months of administration per consultation and comes at no extra cost to those with Microsoft 365. It is completely optional and at every LPA’s discretion as to whether they install and use it.

Creating effective databases

The Power Automate add-on connects to the consultation email inbox in Microsoft 365. It automatically categorises unread emails that come in during the consultation period.

It then collects:

• the person’s name
• email address
• subject line
• any attachments
• body text of the email

It stores these in a centralised SharePoint location, removing the need for manual entry.

To review responses, you access the stored data in the designated folder or database on Microsoft 365. You can then analyse feedback, generate reports, and make data-driven decisions without manually sorting through individual emails.

The automation is compatible with various IT systems used by LPAs. City of London has shown that it not only reduces administrative burden, but also enhances the accuracy and organisation of consultation data.

In summary

Michelle Rowland, City of London Planning Policy Officer, praised the automation’s impact:

The program worked well for us, saving us hours of manual data entry in one step of the representation processing. Instead of painstakingly inputting emails, names, and relevant details by hand, the program automated the entire process.

From the spreadsheet export, we were easily able to add additional columns for summarising and analysing the comments.