Housing secretary Angela Rayner has launched the New Homes Accelerator, an expert group aiming to speed up the delivery of stalled housing sites.
The government estimates that there are around 200 large sites across England that are stuck in the planning system or partially built, which could deliver around 300,000 new homes with the help of the accelerator group.
The group will be made up of experienced members of the Ministry of Housing and Homes England and will bring together key players such as government agencies, housebuilders and local planning departments to resolve specific issues while also deploying planning experts to work through blockages at each site.
The New Homes Accelerator could also provide resources to support local planning capacity to tackle barriers as well as work across the board to ensure that planning decisions are made in a timely manner.
Housing secretary and deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner said: “For far too long the delivery of tens of thousands of new homes has been held back by a failure to make sure the development system is working as it should.”
“This government has a moral obligation to do everything within our power to build the homes that people desperately need and we won’t hesitate to intervene where we need to.”
“Our New Homes Accelerator will quickly identify blockages, fix problems and support local authorities and developers to get shovels in the ground.”
Further work will get underway to accelerate sites including Stretton Hall in Leicestershire, Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community in Essex, and Biggleswade Garden Community in Central Bedfordshire which have the potential to unlock more than 10,000 new homes when completed.
The government has called upon landowners, local authorities and housebuilders to provide details of blocked sites that are facing significant planning issues so that it can get a clear picture of the challenges being faced across the country.
Peter Denton, Homes England chief executive, said: “Through the Accelerator, and using the full range of tools and powers at our disposal, we will continue to work closely with our colleagues at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and our partners up and down the country, to accelerate key sites that have the potential to deliver thousands of homes for people throughout England.”
Mark Skilbeck, UK planning director at Taylor Wimpey, said: “We welcome today’s announcement of the launch of the New Homes Accelerator. Taylor Wimpey has long been clear that there is a need to address the significant delays and resource constraints we are seeing in the planning system, and to move to a much more strategic approach to planning. We look forward to working with the government to help unblock sites where we have seen delays, to deliver the homes and economic growth the country needs.”
Stephen Teagle, Vistry CEO, partnerships & regeneration said: “The creation of the New Homes Accelerator shows the government is listening to both our industry and the millions of people who are unable to access a decent, permanent home. Delivering large-scale housing development involves overcoming a host of overlapping obstacles – from planning and infrastructure through to funding challenges. Unblocking these pathways will lead to the development of thousands more high-quality sustainable homes while helping to drive economic growth. We look forward to contributing to the Accelerator to ensure it is viable and able to deliver results.”
Source: Showhouse
