好色先生TV

Housing secretary Michael Gove has confirmed that he is watering down housing delivery targets for local authorities but revealed plans to introduce 鈥渟harper accountability鈥� in the form of league tables for planning authorities.

Announcing the publication of the much-delayed National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in central London today, the secretary of state for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities also threatened to take action against councils without local plans.

While he confirmed that local housing targets were now officially 鈥渁dvisory鈥�, Gove said the new NPPF was 鈥渘ot a route to the evasion of responsibilities鈥�.  

The housing secretary also said he is 鈥渃onfident鈥� the government will meet the manifesto pledge of increasing housebuilding to 300,000 homes a year by the middle of the decade 鈥渙nce we get back to a normal level of interest and mortgage rates鈥�.

He added: 鈥淚t has always been the case that [housing targets] were supposed to be advisory for local authorities. But that principle has more often been honoured in the breach than in the observance.

鈥淟ocal authorities must provide rigorous evidence justifying their departure from assessed housing needs. They must do everything to identify other lands suitable for development. 

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鈥淲hile the planning inspectorate will respect well-made cases, it will not accept undershooting that is not firmly rooted in environmental or other safeguards. This is about sensitive adjustment in housing targets, not their abandonment.鈥� 

The housing secretary also revealed plans to publish league tables revealing the real performance of local planning authorities. The tables will show the speed of response, the level of approvals and delivery against targets. 

鈥淎t the Department for Education, I saw that nothing so concentrated the mind of leaders than sharper accountability, rigorous inspection and robust league tables. I will apply the same principles and approach to the performance of local planning,鈥� he said. 

He accused some local authorities of 鈥済aming the system鈥� by using 鈥渆xtension of time鈥� agreements 鈥渢o slow down the system鈥�. This practice gave developers 鈥渓ittle option but to agree to such delays or face the frustration of their plans altogether鈥�.

Gove added: 鈥淪trip these [delay] agreements out of the system, and in the two years to September, only 9% of local authorities determined 70% or more of non-major applications within the statutory eight-week period,鈥� he said.

鈥淥n major applications, it is even worse. Strip out the extension of time agreements and only 1% of local authorities managed to get through at least 60% of planning applications within the statutory 13-week period.鈥� 

We will make sure every local authority is held to account for delivery against its claim for the speed with which planning applications are processed

Michael Gove

Gove said the league tables would reveal how many planning applications are actually processed within the proper time limits, and how many local authorities are 鈥渉iding behind these agreements鈥�.

The secretary of state, who announced the publication of the full results of the 2022 housing delivery test, also said he would 鈥渃all out鈥� local authorities that fail to publish their local plans and threatened to intervene further if necessary.

鈥淭here is now no excuse for any local authority not to have a [development] plan in place,鈥� he said. 

鈥淲e will make sure every local authority is held to account for delivery against its claim for the speed with which planning applications are processed, and also the rationality of their decision making.鈥�

Last December, Gove revealed that local housing target numbers would become 鈥渁dvisory鈥� in an apparent concession to Tory MPs worried about a backlash from voters to building in their constituencies. 

Following a consultation on new NPPF proposals, in July, the government confirmed that its revised NPPF would be delayed until after the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill went through. 

We simply can鈥檛 be expected to believe that the government will take the steps necessary to get the homes built that Britain desperately needs

Angela Rayner, Labour鈥檚 deputy leader

The delay in publication of the NPPF has been difficult for developers, who blame the consultation on policy changes for a deepening of the current planning hiatus. Many local authorities have put local plan development on hold in response.

Angela Rayner, Labour鈥檚 deputy leader and shadow housing secretary, today vowed to reverse the changes to the NPPF and reinstate compulsory local targets. 鈥淢ichael Gove鈥檚 latest announcement is truly through the looking glass,鈥� Rayner said.

鈥淒espite all this tough talk, he and Rishi Sunak have stripped away every measure that would get shovels in the ground and houses built to appease their backbenchers. We simply can鈥檛 be expected to believe that the government will take the steps necessary to get the homes built that Britain desperately needs.

鈥淭he Conservative government has sent housebuilding into crisis, with rock-bottom rates of planning permission decisions, spiking interest rates and house building set to plummet.鈥�

The Home Builders鈥� Federation (HBF) last week predicted that a drop in the level of planning applications granted 

The HBF鈥檚 director of communications Steve Turner told 好色先生TV: 鈥淭he removal of housing targets for local authorities, one of the key principles of the planning system, will be extremely damaging for the delivery of new homes.

鈥淎lready we are seeing house building and planning permission levels tumble as a direct result of the government鈥檚 approach and further falls are now inevitable.

鈥淲hile the announcement today does include some modest improvements to the planning process, most are simply threats that will not make a difference in the short term.鈥�

 conducted by consultancy Lichfields earlier this year predicted that the proposed changes to the NPPF which Gove confirmed today could cause a drop in building delivery of 77,000 homes a year.