Politics of Planning

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has clashed with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, having overruled the council’s refusal of a large housing, shopping and office development at Notting Hill Gate.

The Prime Minister has announced a £2 billion worth of funding for housing associations to increase homebuilding to come available in 2022 - marking a break from Conservative housing philosophy dating back to Margaret Thatcher.

Last week the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government announced the 'Housing Delivery Fund' in conjunction with Barclays Bank– a new £1 billion fund designed to kickstart SME housebuilding and speed up delivery.

On Tuesday 4 September, SP Broadway hosted a Politics of Planning Breakfast with Deputy Leader of Guildford Borough Council Matt Furniss, and Lead Councillor for Housing and Development Management Philip Brooker.

The Sunday Telegraph suggests the Government is considering axing Help to Buy, with existing funding ending in 2021, and a temporary extension being considered.

Conservatives Daniel Hannan MEP and Boris Johnson MP have written articles in the Daily Telegraph about the need to address the housing crisis, demonstrating the ever-increasing political weight the issue holds within the party.

Last week the Green Belt rose up the political agenda as the CPRE released new research criticising the Government's approach to Green Belt development, and senior Conservatives argued over the extent to which the Green Belt needs to be protected. 

Last week the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published the long-awaited updated National Planning Policy Framework,with a focus on the Government's continuing aspiration to increase housing delivery.

The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee has launched a report calling for a large increase in prefabricated homes.

An enforced Cabinet reshuffle last week has resulted in the appointment of the eighth Minister for Housing in just over eight years.