Britain's new government on Tuesday set out mandatory housing targets for councils in England with a view to delivering 1.5 million more homes before the next election and said it would consult on an overhaul of the planning system.
New Prime Minister Keir Starmer has made reforms to planning a key plank of his plans to reinvigorate Britain's growth after a Labour election victory on July 4, and his government has said the country needs to build more homes.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said the government would aim for 370,000 new houses to be built each year, up from the current target of 300,000, as she outlined plans she acknowledged would be controversial but said were necessary.
"These are the right reforms for the decade of renewal the country so desperately needs, and we will not be deterred by those who seek to stand in the way of our country's future," Rayner told lawmakers.
The government is aiming to build 1.5 million houses before this parliament ends at the next election, which is due by August 2029.
But Rayner said that this year less than 200,000 homes were set to be built, showing how the previous government fell behind on housing targets.
LONDON CUTS
Not all areas saw their house-building targets rise. London, where around 35,000 homes were built last year, had its annual target reduced to 80,000 from 100,000 homes.
The opposition Conservative Party criticised the move, saying that the capital city had the infrastructure to support more homes, but Rayner said the 100,000 target for London was based on an "arbitrary uplift" that was "absolute nonsense" and the new target was still a "huge ask."
Rayner also said there would be an eight-week consultation on the National Planning Policy Framework, with a view to publishing revisions before the end of the year, so that policy changes could take place as quickly as possible.
She said that as well as housing, the government would make it easier to build key infrastructure including onshore wind and solar projects.
"We must make it simpler and faster to build the clean energy sources needed to meet net zero carbon energy generation by 2030," she said.
Pro-growth campaign group Britain Remade said that cutting London's homebuilding target was a mistake but welcomed other aspects, including a review of "green belt" land to explore whether some development can occur on hitherto protected sites.
"The Deputy Prime Minister's revised NPPF contains a number of necessary changes," Britain Remade CEO Sam Richards said.
"It is right that housing targets are now based on affordability and that they are tougher, while breaking the taboo on the Green Belt is brave and necessary."
