Tag: Housing and Communities

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 16 December 2024.

Landmark English Devolution White Paper set to unleash power from Whitehall back into local communities that know their areas best.

• Devolution Revolution to be set out in landmark English Devolution White Paper – unleashing power from Whitehall back into local communities that know their areas best
• Mayors will be equipped to drive growth and improve living standards as part of government’s Plan for Change
• Greater devolution is a key way to kickstart economic growth, put more money in people’s pockets and put politics back in the service of working people

Significant plans to make devolution the default setting across a range of government policy areas, as part of the English Devolution White Paper, will be announced today (16 December) by the Deputy Prime Minister.

In a speech to an audience of regional mayors, local government and business leaders, the Deputy Prime Minister will say that the proposals in the English Devolution White Paper will put England’s regions centre stage and deliver on the government’s mission to grow the economy and our milestone of building 1.5 million homes and will boost opportunity across the country.

Measures expected to be announced later today include plans for new powers for mayors across strategic planning – giving them the ability to guide infrastructure and development projects across areas, housing, transport and skills.

This is part of the government’s longstanding commitment to devolution – pushing more powers out of Westminster and into the hands of people with skin in the game, who know their areas best.

At a launch event later today Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner, is expected to say:

“Our English Devolution White Paper will be a turning point when we finally see communities, people and places across England begin to take back control over the things that matter to them.

“When our proud towns and cities are once again given the powers they need to drive growth and raise living standards as part of our Plan for Change.

“It’s a plan for putting more money in people’s pockets, putting politics back in the service of working people and a plan for stability, investment and reform, not chaos, austerity and decline, that will deliver a decade of national renewal.

“Devolution will no longer be agreed at the whim of a Minister in Whitehall, but embedded in the fabric of the country, becoming the default position of government.”

The measures are expected to include proposals to create ‘strategic authorities’ across England, bringing together councils over areas that people live and work in, to avoid duplication and give our cities and regions a bigger voice.

The English Devolution White Paper has been anticipated following the government’s clear intentions to transfer power out of Whitehall. Since being in office, the government has already approved devolution deals in Greater Lincolnshire, Hull & East Yorkshire, Devon & Torbay, and Lancashire.

The full proposals will be set out in the white paper, due to be published in Parliament today.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 15 December 2024.

A new approach to development and the environment will boost the number of homes being built.

• Measures will create a ‘win-win’ for nature and the economy, accelerating economic and environmental growth.
• Rules will focus on driving up environmental outcomes over rigid processes that block and delay development, with developers able to pay into a fund for improvements to nature as a quicker and simpler way of meeting their environmental obligations.

Measures to turbocharge housebuilding have been set out today (15 December) as part of wider proposals for the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill.  The Bill will play a key role in promoting economic growth, unlocking a new scale of delivery for housing and infrastructure.

Common sense changes to environmental rules will support the Government’s commitment to build 1.5 million homes and advance 150 major infrastructure project decisions, while also helping halt and reverse the decline of species and natural habitats.

A new Nature Restoration Fund would enable developers to meet their environmental obligations more quickly and with greater impact – accelerating the building of homes and improving the environment.

Currently developers may need to secure mitigation for environmental harm before being granted planning permission.

This adds cost, delays and can entirely block the housing and infrastructure our country needs – with rules too focused on preserving the status quo instead of supporting growth and charting a course to nature recovery.

Under these reforms, developers will instead be able to pay into the fund allowing building to proceed immediately – quicker, simpler, and more certain that the broken status quo. A delivery body, such as Natural England, will then take responsibility for securing positive environmental outcomes, for example, delivering a reduction in nutrient pollution affecting the water environment or securing habitats to increase the population of a protected species.

This represents a shift away from a broken system which has stifled development, growth and nature recovery for far too long – failing communities and the environment.

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

“Getting Britain building means stripping away unnecessary barriers to growth to deliver the homes that we so desperately need.

“For years, vital housing and infrastructure projects have been tied up in red tape leaving communities without the homes, infrastructure and jobs they need.

“Our Plan for Change will put an end to the status quo while restoring nature.  It’s win-win for development and our environment, including targeted reforms allowing us to use the economic benefits of growth to fund tangible and targeted action for nature’s recovery.”

Environment Secretary Steve Reed said:

We were elected on a mandate to get Britain building again and protect nature.

But the status quo is blocking the building of homes and failing to protect the environment.

These reforms will allow tens of thousands of homes to be built while protecting the natural environment we all depend on.”

The proposals set out three steps the government will take to help developers get building while delivering their environmental obligations in a more sensible and strategic way. This approach will mean developers don’t have to pay for individual site level assessments for the matters covered by the Nature Restoration Fund – which adds cost and delay – and will no longer have to deliver mitigation needed. A single payment will enable development to proceed. A delivery body will then take the actions needed to drive nature recovery at a strategic, not site-by-site, scale:

• Government will lead a single strategic assessment and delivery plan for an area – not an individual site – which will allow decisions to be made at an appropriate geographic scale. The current process is uncertain and costly, with assessments on issues such as nutrient neutrality requiring bespoke calculations and significant technical expertise at the level of each individual project. This also misses the opportunity to support the best outcomes for nature.
• A public delivery body will consider which actions are needed to address the environmental impact of development across an appropriate area and determine how much developers will pay into the Nature Restoration Fund. The delivery body will secure the actions funded by developers, removing the need for actions to be taken on a case by case basis.
• Contributions will be secured from developers to fully fund nature recovery actions. This would enable developers to meet certain environmental obligations through a single payment into the Nature Restoration Fund – which would streamline the process and maximise the impact of money spent on nature by directing it to real world action instead of paperwork and process.

The proposals are set out in a working paper, which seeks views from stakeholders including communities, housing and clean power developers, nature service providers and local authorities. Feedback from the working paper will inform the next stage of policy development.

Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England, said:

It is evident that we need to take urgent action to address the worsening decline of nature, and we must also lean into the challenges posed by housing shortages.

We will continue to work with the Government to help deliver their plans – but the two key issues of today, nature and economic recovery, should not be pitted against one another, as we step up efforts to avoid losing what protected remnants of nature remain while also restoring some of what has gone.

Instead, we should consider the huge opportunities which can be unlocked through better strategic planning which considers environmental improvements, economic development and green spaces for public enjoyment on a landscape scale.

The government would use the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to introduce legislative changes to drive action at a strategic level which will provide certainty for both developers and the environment.

This will also establish a more efficient and effective way for Habitats Regulations and other environmental obligations to be discharged, pooling individual contributions to deliver the strategic interventions necessary to drive nature recovery.

Notes to editors

• This paper is the latest in a series of working papers on different aspects of planning reform, designed to inform further policy development in collaboration with the wider sector. Previous papers covered proposals for a brownfield passport and for the modernisation of planning committees:
  • Planning Reform Working Paper: Development and Nature Recovery – GOV.UK
  • https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/planning-reform-working-paper-brownfield-passport

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 13 December 2024.

The government has extended the existing Home Building Fund beyond March next year.

A financial support package of up to £700 million for small and medium-sized housebuilders will be up for grabs through the expansion of a significant government programme to boost economic growth and build tens of thousands of new homes.

The existing Home Building Fund for SMEs is being extended beyond March next year to secure millions of pounds worth of loans and investments for small housebuilding firms who would otherwise be unable to access lending elsewhere.

The Fund had been due to close to new business on 31 March next year, but the government has now committed to provide ongoing funding.

Providing a range of financial support, including direct loans and lending partnerships, the Fund is increasing the amount of cash available for smaller housebuilders so they can play a crucial role in the government’s Plan for Change to build 1.5 million new homes over five years. This will get more families onto the property ladder and create jobs in the areas most in need.

The extension will support the delivery of around 12,000 additional homes – on top of the 42,000 homes the Fund is already on track to deliver.

Housebuilders struggling to access the credit they need continues to be a key constraint in driving growth across the sector and today’s intervention will help remove these barriers to encourage more housebuilding and grow the economy.

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

“Smaller housebuilders have a critical role to play in our Plan for Change to help us build 1.5 million homes over five years and the government is fully committed to backing them to grow.

“Government loans are providing vital support to many housebuilders in the SME sector, but previous failures to provide ongoing funding meant the scheme had been set to shut its doors in March.

“They must be the bedrock of our plans. That is why I’m extending the fund so more of them can access the capital and investment needed to deliver thousands of new homes across the country and help us fix the housing crisis for good.”

The Fund is managed by the government’s housing and regeneration agency, Homes England, who have already provided development loans to hundreds of small and medium housebuilders up and down the country to build more homes and expand their businesses.

Chief Executive of Homes England, Peter Denton said:

“The Fund is playing a vital part in England’s housing and regeneration story. It is at the heart of unlocking opportunities and helping the market to thrive and diversify, which is essential to boost the creation of new, high-quality, sustainable homes that people want and need.

“The Fund’s extension brings certainty to the sector and will undoubtedly open doors for SMEs, who I would encourage to reach out to us, as part of a collective mission to ensure everyone in the country has a permanent place to live and thrive.”

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

“The Government’s greater support for small house builders by extending the Fund is a positive step to help diversify the housing market.

“The last few years have posed a difficult set of financial challenges for the nation’s small house builders, so it will be vital that these various lending options can help kick start developments. Boosting the output from SME housebuilders is crucial to hit the Government’s target of delivering 1.5 million new homes in this Parliament.”

Previous recipients of the Fund include Kingswood Homes in Lancashire who have more than doubled their yearly housebuilding targets and the Bristol-based developer, PG Group, tripling the number of affordable homes available on a brownfield site for lower income families.

In addition to supporting SMEs, the Fund also helps unlock investment from pension funds and institutional investors, including the recently announced £25 million deal with Muse Places Limited and Pension Insurance Corportation to deliver 3,000 energy-efficient new homes, all of which are intended to be affordable.

This follows the £3 billion in additional government support for SMEs and the Build to Rent sector confirmed at the Budget, which will help deliver over 20,000 more homes through the expansion of existing housing guarantee schemes.

The extension of the Fund will also support the government’s overhaul of planning laws through a new growth focused National Planning Policy Framework that is reinstating new, mandatory housing targets for councils across England.

Further information

The current Home Building Fund is designed for housebuilders based in England that are struggling to access finance from traditional lenders. More information is available here.

Case studies to see how a development loan has benefitted other small and medium housebuilders can be found here.

The Budget recently confirmed existing housing guarantee schemes will receive £3 billion more in government support.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 12 December 2024.

An overhaul of the planning system to accelerate housebuilding and deliver 1.5 million homes over this Parliament.

Hard working families locked out of owning their own home for far too long will benefit from government’s landmark planning changes.

Under the plans, councils will be told they must play their part to meet housing need by reaching a new ambitious combined target of 370,000 homes a year. This comes less than one week after the Prime Minister announced the Plan for Change that sets our milestone of delivering 1.5 million new homes over five years.

In a major boost for communities across the country, the government is today turbocharging growth with new, mandatory targets for councils to ramp up housebuilding across the country. The planning overhaul is set to tackle the chronic housing crisis once and for all and will mean hard graft at work will be rewarded with security at home.

Today’s changes tackle the dire inheritance faced by the government, in which 1.3 million households are on social housing waiting lists and a record number of households – including 160,000 children – are living in temporary accommodation.

Under new planning rules, updated via the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF):

• Councils will be told to play their part to meet housing need, with new immediate mandatory housing targets for councils to ramp up housebuilding and deliver growth across the country putting more money in working people’s pockets.
• Areas with the highest unaffordability for housing and greatest potential for growth will see housebuilding targets increase, while stronger action will ensure councils adopt up-to-date local plans or develop new plans that work for their communities.
• A new common-sense approach will be introduced to the greenbelt. While remaining committed to a brownfield first approach, the updated NPPF will require councils to review their greenbelt boundaries to meet targets, identifying and prioritising lower quality ‘grey belt’ land.
• Any development on greenbelt must meet strict requirements, via the new ‘golden rules’, which require developers to provide the necessary infrastructure for local communities, such as nurseries, GP surgeries and transport, as well as a premium level of social and affordable housing.
• To further tackle the housing crisis, councils and developers will also need to give greater consideration to social rent when building new homes and local leaders have greater powers to build genuinely affordable homes for those who need them most.

The government has been clear that it supports builders not blockers, as it makes the necessary decisions to deliver for working people across the country.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

“For far too long, working people graft hard but are denied the security of owning their own home. I know how important it is – our pebble dash semi meant everything to our family growing up. But with a generation of young people whose dream of homeownership feels like a distant reality, and record levels of homelessness, there’s no shying away from the housing crisis we have inherited.

“We owe it to those working families to take urgent action, and that is what this government is doing. Our Plan for Change will put builders not blockers first, overhaul the broken planning system and put roofs over the heads of working families and drive the growth that will put more money in people’s pockets.

“We’re taking immediate action to make the dream of homeownership a reality through delivering 1.5 million homes by the next parliament and rebuilding Britain to deliver for working people.”

Reform is desperately needed if we are to build 1.5 million homes. Under the current planning framework just under one third of local authorities have adopted a local plan within the last five years and the number of homes granted planning permission had also been allowed to fall to its lowest level in a decade.

That has to change. Following consultation, areas must commit to timetables for new plans within 12 weeks the updated NPPF or ministers will not hesitate to use their existing suite of intervention powers to ensure plans are put in place.

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

“From day one I have been open and honest about the scale of the housing crisis we have inherited. This mission-led government will not shy away from taking the bold and decisive action needed to fix it for good.

“We cannot shirk responsibility and leave over a million families on housing waiting lists and a generation locked out of home ownership. Our Plan for Change means overhauling planning to make the dream of a secure home a reality for working people.

“Today’s landmark overhaul will sweep away last year’s damaging changes and shake-up a broken planning system which caves into the blockers and obstructs the builders.

“I will not hesitate to do what it takes to build 1.5 million new homes over five years and deliver the biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.

”We must all do our bit and we must all do more. We expect every local area to adopt a plan to meet their housing need. The question is where the homes and local services people expect are built, not whether they are built at all.”

Reflecting our commitment to the plan-led system, meaning where and how new development is built through local plans, ministers will provide local authorities with three months in which to progress local plans that are currently in development, subject to conditions that catch those which significantly undershoot the new targets.

But the government is introducing a new requirement that where plans based on old targets are still in place from July 2026, councils will need to provide for an extra year’s supply of homes in their pipeline – six years instead of five.

Where they do not, the strengthened presumption in favour of sustainable development would apply alongside the existing safeguards in national policy around provision of affordable housing, design quality, and sustainability of location.

Brownfield land must continue to be the first port of call for any new development and the default answer when asked to build on brownfield should always be ‘yes’. The government is also exploring further action to support and expedite the development of brownfield land in urban areas through ‘brownfield passports’ with more details to be set out next year.

To support councils to update their local plans and review their current greenbelt land, areas will receive an additional £100 million of cash next year that can be used to hire more staff and consultants as well as more resources to carry out technical studies and site assessments. This is on top of bolstering local resources with increased planning fees to cover costs and an additional 300 planning officers, making sure they have the staff and capacity needed to approve homes for local people.

The new growth focused NPPF also includes requirements to ensure homes are high-quality and well-designed without stalling growth. The government has also committed to updating the National Design Guide and National Model Design Code in Spring next year.

On the NPPF consultation:

The government has published its full response to the National Planning Policy Framework consultation.

The new annual housing targets continue to total an ambitious 370,000 across England, with higher mandatory targets in those places facing the most acute affordability.

Drawing on over 10,000 responses to the consultation and extensive engagement across the housing sector, the NPPF published today contains a number of refinements to the proposals set out in the summer.

The government also consulted on increasing planning fees for householder applications and other applications, alongside allowing local authorities to set their own fees.

Eligible local planning authorities are invited to submit an Expression of Interest by 17 January 2025 to request a share of the £14.8 million grant funding, supporting them with local plan delivery and green belt reviews.

As part of its relentless focus to get Britain building again, the government has already:

• Launched a New Homes Accelerator to unblock thousands of homes stuck in the  planning system.
• Set up an independent New Towns Taskforce, as part of a long-term vision to create large-scale communities of at least 10,000 new homes each.
• Awarded £68 million to 54 local councils to unlock housing on brownfield sites.
• Awarded £47 million to seven councils to unlock homes stalled by nutrient neutrality rules.
• Announced an additional £3 billion in housing guarantees to help builders apply for more accessible loans from banks and lenders.
• Extended the existing Home Building Fund for next year providing up to £700 million of vital support to SME housebuilders, delivering an additional 12,000 new homes.

The government has published its first working paper for the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, seeking views from a range of planning, housing and local experts before finalising proposals details for planning committees.

This will be followed by a formal public consultation on these detailed proposals to coincide with the Bill’s introduction next year.

Golden rules:

• Brownfield first.
• Grey belt second.
• Affordable homes.
• Boost public services and infrastructure.
• Improve genuine green spaces.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 28 November 2024.

Funding reform kickstarted to fix the foundations of local government and better use taxpayer cash.

Long overdue reforms to council funding to ensure it offers better value for money have been outlined today (28th November) alongside more money for councils to help fix the foundations of local government.

The government will launch a consultation next month on its long-term proposals to fundamentally improve the way the sector is funded, moving away from an outdated and inefficient approach – which has seen some councils increasing their level of reserves and others struggling to deliver services and balance budgets – and shifting to a fairer system which matches funding with need.

This major reform, which will be subject to extensive consultation with local leaders, will ensure public money is spent more efficiently on improving services local people rely on through a fairer system which builds on the lessons learned through the previous government’s review of Relative Needs and Resources, better known as the ‘Fair Funding Review’, which highlighted the problem of how councils are funded and the need for change but was delayed and never implemented.

It will be launched alongside a consultation on the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025-26, which includes a new £600 million Recovery Grant for areas most in need, an increase to the Social Care Grant by £680 million, a new £250 million Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant and the repurposing of grants to offer better value for money for the taxpayer and deliver better outcomes for local people, including the most vulnerable.

Overall, local government is expected to receive a real-terms increase in Core Spending Power of around 3.2% and no council will see a reduction in this after taking account of any increase in council tax levels. On average, places with a significant rural population will receive an increase of around 5% in their Core Spending Power, and will be better off this year compared with 2024-2025.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said:

For too long councils have been let down by an outdated and inefficient funding system which has led to public services creaking and taxpayers’ money not being spent efficiently.

Whilst there’s no magic wand to fix what we’ve inherited, we’re taking the necessary steps to fix the foundations of local government by creating a fairer system and ensuring every penny is spent on the services so many people rely on every day.

The £680m increase for the Social Care Grant will help local authorities address social care pressures, whilst the new £250m Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant will help ensure children stay with their families or in safe loving homes where possible as part of a planned overhaul of the system next year. Legislation will be brought forward to crack down on the profiteering of vulnerable children and ensure local government can deliver safe, loving homes for children in care.

The Budget also set out more than £4 billion of investment in local government – of which £1.3 billion will come through the Settlement – to build new homes, invest in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and improve homelessness services, and tackle potholes.

On funding reform, further consultations are planned before the final proposals will be developed, published and again consulted on ahead of the provisional settlement for 2026-2027 – ensuring the views of local leaders are reflected, in another demonstration of the government’s push to reset relationships with councils.

Implementation of these reforms will take place alongside multi-year funding settlements, the first in 10 years come 2026-2027, allowing local authorities the certainty to plan and invest for the long-term. The number of funding pots will also be reduced to allow councils to have more flexibility to judge local priorities, to meet the needs of local people, and to decide how best to deliver on national priorities.

The Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025-2026 will further maintain the previous government’s referendum threshold for council tax at 3% with 2% for the adult social care precept, balancing the need between protecting local taxpayers who are still feeling the impact of the cost of living and funding local public services.

The government also confirmed it will: provide support to the public sector, including local government, to meet the increased costs of directly employed staff arising from changes to employer National Insurance Contribution (NICs); plans to merge grants and simplify funding; and a commitment to overhauling the local audit system and to hold talks with local government over reorganisation if appropriate.

Several grants including the Rural Services Delivery Grant and the Services Grant will be repurposed. The government will ensure the impact of rurality on the cost of service delivery and demand is reflected in the public consultation next year. Places with a significant rural population will still on average receive around a 5% increase in their Core Spending Power, which is a real terms increase. No council will see a reduction.

Councils will also receive over £1 billion in total through the Extended Producer Responsibility for Packing scheme (pEPR) which will cover the existing costs they incur for managing household packaging waste, provide additional funding for new legal duties, and support much needed investment in the waste and recycling industry. Provisional payment figures will be shared with councils by the end of November.

The press release issued by the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 27 November 2024.

New regulations to remove a local connection requirement for veterans to access social housing.

Veterans will have greater access to social housing thanks to the removal of a local connection requirement made by the government today.

The new changes, made by the Housing Minister in Parliament today, exempt all former UK Armed Forces Veterans from rules that restrict access to social housing for those that do not have a connection to the local area. This will make sure veterans across the country have access to the housing support they need and can find a place to call home.

The changes apply to councils with local connection or residency tests determining who can currently qualify for social housing. This will ensure veterans cannot be unfairly penalised where such requirements are in place, recognising the unique challenges they face in trying to build up a connection in a specific local area.

Housing and Planning Minister, Matthew Pennycook said:

“Those who put their lives on the line in the service of their country should have access to the housing support they need – this government is making sure they do.

“We will continue to do all we can to ensure homes are there for heroes, as part of our commitment to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.”

Minister for Veterans and People, Alistair Carns OBE MC MP said:

“This is a government that is committed to renewing the nation’s contract with those who serve and have served and today is an important step forward in delivering on our promise that homes will be there for heroes.

“Today’s action shows our government is delivering our manifesto commitment to strengthen support for our Armed Forces communities and to ensure veterans have access to the housing support they need.”

The Deputy Prime Minister has previously written to local councils reminding them of their obligation to prioritise veterans for social housing and the guidance is being updated to reflect these changes.

Wider government support is also in place to help more veterans into secure and permanent accommodation. This includes a further £3.5 million to the Reducing Veteran Homelessness Programme and Op FORTITUDE, which is the single referral pathway for veterans at risk of homelessness.

Alongside these changes, the government has already given councils greater flexibility to use Right to Buy receipts to build and buy more homes and provided an additional £450 million for councils to secure homes for families, including veterans, at risk of homelessness.

Government investment in housing will also increase to £5 billion for next year and this includes an extra £500 million in new funding for the Affordable Homes Programme to deliver tens of thousands of new affordable and social homes across the country.  In turn, supporting the government’s commitment of delivering 1.5 million homes by the next Parliament and generating economic growth.

Further information

• The government’s written ministerial statement confirming today’s changes is available here.
• The regulations will come into force on Wednesday 18 December.
• On 24 September, the Prime Minister also set out his ambition to improve access to social housing for young care leavers and victims of domestic abuse. Ministers will convene roundtables to explore the detail of these exemptions and bring forward further regulations in due course.

The press release issued by the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 27 November 2024.

Billions of pounds in guarantees for housebuilders are now open for business as part of a new support package confirmed by the Housing Minister today.

• Over 20,000 new homes through vital support for SME housebuilders and the Build-to-Rent sector.
• Existing schemes to receive £3 billion more in government support to help deliver 1.5 million homes.
• Builds on £5 billion investment in housing for next year.

Billions of pounds in guarantees for housebuilders are now open for business as part of a new support package confirmed by the Housing Minister today.

As announced at the Budget, an additional £3 billion in housing guarantees will be available to help builders apply for more accessible loans from banks and lenders, giving them the confidence they need to get Britain building again.

Government guarantees reduce risk for lenders and encourages them to increase the supply of credit for housebuilders. Housebuilder’s access to credit is a key constraint on growth in the sector, so guaranteeing more lending encourages more housebuilding.

Thousands of new homes will be delivered across the country because of the government’s latest invention, which will see more families onto the property ladder, boost economic growth and create jobs, and support the ambition to build 1.5 million homes over the next five years.

This includes doubling the ENABLE Build scheme to £2 billion so smaller housebuilders and firms can support the delivery of over 10,000 new homes, including more student accommodation and specialised housing for older people, in areas most in need.

Build-to-Rent developers will also see the Private Rented Sector Guarantee Scheme reopen at the end of the year, with nearly £2 billion available to ramp up housebuilding. A broader variety of projects will be eligible to access additional lending, so more housing projects can be completed without unnecessary delays.

Based on the performance of the schemes so far, the government estimates that the increase in guarantees would support over 20,000 more homes.

Housing and Planning Minister, Matthew Pennycook said:

“SME housebuilders and Build to Rent operators have a crucial role to play in delivering the government’s target of 1.5 million new homes in this parliament.

“The significant additional support provided by our housing guarantee schemes will enable them to access low-cost loans and support the building of thousands of new homes across the country”.

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

“SME house builders have a crucial role to play in helping to deliver the Government’s ambitious target to build 1.5 million new homes over the next five years. In recent years, small house builders have faced a particularly difficult set of financial challenges. Diversification of the UK’s housing market is essential to deliver the number of homes needed.

“Today’s Government announcement providing greater support for small housebuilders is welcome news. For the Government’s plans to succeed, it will be crucial that this lending is available for those small house builders who need it most and can build the homes this country needs.”

Louis Taylor, CEO, British Business Bank said:

“We welcome this £1bn expansion of the Bank’s ENABLE Build programme by the government. Unlocking finance for smaller housebuilders is more important than ever, not just to help build homes across the UK’s Nations and regions and provide people with security, but also to stimulate much-needed growth for the UK economy. Combined with the ENABLE Build programme’s recent expansion to include provision to non-bank lenders, this means that the sector will benefit from both an increased volume and choice of finance.”

Richard Green, Partner at Venn Partners said:

“Build-to-rent can play a key role in the UK’s private rented sector, delivering high quality, well managed homes funded by institutional investors. Venn looks forward to continuing to support the sector with attractive loans from the PRS Guarantee Scheme”.

To accelerate housing development and achieve the ambition to build 1.5 million homes over the next five years, the government has already:

• Announced an overhaul of the planning system through a consultation on reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, including new mandatory housebuilding targets for councils:
• Launched a New Homes Accelerator group to unblock thousands of new homes stuck in the planning system or partially built.
• Introduced ‘brownfield passports’ to ensure where planning proposals meet design and quality standards, the default answer to planning permission is yes:
• Set up an independent New Towns Taskforce, as part of a long-term vision to create largescale communities of at least 10,000 new homes each:
• Awarded £68 million to 54 local councils to unlock housing on brownfield sites:
• Awarded £47 million to seven councils to unlock homes stalled by nutrient neutrality rules.

The press release issued by the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 13 November 2024.

The Office for Place will be closed down and the expertise of its staff redeployed within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government across the country, where support for design and placemaking will continue.

The decision was announced through a Written Ministerial Statement on 12 November 2024.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 1 October 2024.

Our expert and independent New Towns Taskforce, chaired by Sir Michael Lyons, met today (1 October 2024) in Cambridge.

Taskforce members took the opportunity to explore the ongoing work in Cambridge and learn lessons from the city. The Taskforce heard from key players in the city, including officials from the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service and other officials from across the Greater Cambridge area. Greater Cambridge has a vital role in kickstarting economic growth across the country, and the Taskforce heard about award-winning developments in the local area plus the work to overcome key challenges, including water scarcity, to support future sustainable growth.

The Taskforce also discussed key workstreams related to the new towns programme, including developing its spatial mapping work.

Visits by the New Towns Taskforce are focused on learning lessons from places that are already delivering housing at scale. The Taskforce will present a final shortlist of recommendations on appropriate locations to ministers within the next year. No decisions have yet been made on the location of any new towns.

The meeting today comes 2 weeks after the Taskforce held their inaugural meeting in Milton Keynes on 17 September. Taskforce members have met again within the fortnight to continue their mission to address the national housing demand and to help boost economic growth, as outlined to the group by the Deputy Prime Minister and the Housing Minister last month.

The Taskforce will meet again in early November.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 30 September 2024.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has kickstarted a new “partnership approach” to working with London Mayor Sadiq Khan to boost housebuilding in the capital.

A review of the London Plan for housing ordered by the last government has been withdrawn by the Deputy Prime Minister to kickstart a new “partnership approach” aimed at boosting housebuilding in the capital.

In March, the previous Secretary of State directed London Mayor Sadiq Khan to partially review parts of the London Plan – which sets out the strategy as to how the city will develop and grow.

The Deputy Prime Minister has now withdrawn that mandated review, but has also set out that action is needed to deliver the homes London needs.

In a letter to the Mayor, the Deputy Prime Minister said she recognises the issues London faces and will work with the mayor to ensure he takes all possible steps to boost housing delivery and deliver the homes London needs. Withdrawing the direction will allow the government and Greater London Authority to take “a new partnership approach” to tackle the housing crisis.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said:

I know Mayor Sadiq Khan shares my commitment to tackle the housing crisis and boost economic growth to deliver real opportunities for Londoners.

Our new approach will take more fundamental action and focus on a partnership approach to build the housing that London needs and unlock the city’s economic potential.

Under proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework, London needs to build around 80,000 new homes per year – a record and ambitious number for the city at over double the current average number of homes built a year in the capital.

The government and the Mayor are committed to working together to take all possible steps to deliver these homes, including through proposed changes to housing targets and other reforms to the planning system.

In addition to this, the New Homes Accelerator will see the Ministry of Housing work with Homes England to further speed up housing delivery, and money will also be available for London through the £150 million Brownfield, Infrastructure and Land Fund.

This is part of a wider push to build 1.5 million homes over the next five years by overhauling the planning system and restoring mandatory local housing targets across the country.