Michael Gove relaxes planning rules to create more homes downtown

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July 24, 2023, 09:30 GMT

Updated 36 minutes ago

Image source, Getty Images

Michael Gove is relaxing England’s planning rules in a bid to create more homes in the ‘hearts of our cities’.

The settlement minister says he wants to make it easier to convert empty retail and bookmakers’ spaces into flats and homes.

But critics say such transfers are often of poor quality.

It comes as Rishi Sunak insists his party will fulfill its commitment to build 1 million homes before the next elections expected in 2024.

A report by the House of Commons Housing Committee earlier this month found that while ministers are on track to meet the million homes target, they are not expected to meet their other commitment to deliver 300,000 new homes each year by mid-2020.

“copper neck”

Reaching that figure became more difficult after the government was forced to reduce its housing targets for local councils after a backlash from their MPs, many of whom are in rural constituencies.

The prime minister said his cabinet would not be “concrete in the countryside”, adding: “Our plan is to build the right homes where there is greatest need and where there is local support, in the heart of major British cities.”

“It takes some serious confrontation for the Conservatives to make more promises when the housing crisis goes from bad to worse on their watch,” said Lisa Nandy, Labour’s shadow housing secretary.

In a speech in central London, Mr Gove said the government would “unequivocally and intensely focus our efforts in the hearts of our cities”.

He added that he would “use all the levers we have to promote urban renewal instead of swallowing virgin land”.

As part of his plan to build more homes, he said he wanted to make it easier to turn shops, fast food and bookies into homes.

Some commercial properties can actually be converted into homes without planning permission. Under laws known as Permissible Development Rights, more than 10,000 properties – such as former offices – have been converted into homes in 2021-2022.

“Super Squad”

The Local Government Association warned that offices, shops and barns are not always suitable for housing, and can lead to poor quality homes.

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Anthony Browne: Cambridge is “already growing at an astonishing rate” but a lack of water means expansion plans are “undeliverable”.

Gove also wants to relax rules on building extensions for commercial buildings and the reuse of farm buildings for other purposes.

In order to expedite large developments, the government will invest £24m to train planning authorities. Half of the funding is newly allocated, while the other half will come from the administration’s current budget.

and £13.5m for what he calls a “super team” of planners to unlock some projects – development in Cambridge will be the team’s first task. Developers will be required to pay higher fees to fund improvements to the planning system.

However, in an early sign that Mr Gove’s plans could attract criticism from government MPs, Conservative MP for South Cambridgeshire Anthony Browne tweeted: “I will do everything I can to stop the government’s nonsense plans to force the building of group homes on Cambridge, as all major developments are now blocked by the Environment Agency as we are already out of water.”

Asked about the criticism, Mr Sunak said: “Nobody is building group homes in Cambridge, this is about adding a new urban neighborhood to Cambridge.”

He added that developments would be made “through dialogue with local communities” and that Westminster should not “play around” with their views.

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Labor’s Lisa Nandy claims the government is “at war with itself” over housing

Building more homes has been a thorny issue for the government. While there is a huge demand for housing, particularly among younger voters who are struggling to get on the property ladder, new housing developments have proven unpopular in Conservative strongholds.

‘tough decisions’

The National Housing Federation, which represents housing associations, said Mr Goff’s policies were a “positive start” but “nowhere near the scale or ambition needed”.

The authority’s director of public impact, Rhys Moore, said changes to the planning process had been “relatively piecemeal” and called for more investment in social housing – homes available at lower rents.

Polly Nate, chair of the housing charity Shelter, praised Mr Gove for being a minister who was “not afraid to build” but warned that plans to turn junk food into homes could lead to the creation of “poor quality and unsafe homes”.

In May, Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer said his party would give English councils more powers to build on greenbelt lands, but added that new developments would not be allowed if they affected the “beauty of the countryside”.

He said he would make “tough decisions” and “support builders, not barriers”.

Labor also said it would reintroduce local housing targets and change the planning system to make it easier to build on brownfield sites.

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