Government to scrap controversial planning reforms?

Today the Government has set out new measures promising to level up England’s cities.

The announcement includes a revision to the 80:20 rule to ensure funding is not just concentrated in London and the South East, and an adjustment to the standard method formula, which will now put more emphasis on building in our largest cities, including the Northern cities of Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, and Liverpool.

Nigel Wilson, Chair of Homes for the North said; “We welcome today’s announcement. Homes for the North has long been lobbying Government to look again at its housing policy that has been hampering growth in the North.”

Homes for the North’s research identified the 80:20 rule, used by Homes England for the distribution of housing infrastructure investment, as an obstacle to the levelling-up agenda. It has led to only 12% of the £5.5bn Housing Infrastructure Fund being allocated to the North by the end of March 2020, a fraction of its share of English households at 28%.

The proposed new standard method for establishing housing requirements through the planning system was also on course to level-down the North. Whilst the North’s share of housing delivery has been around 24% of the national total over the last three years, under the Government’s proposed new standard method, this could have fallen to as low as 15%.

Nigel Wilson went on to say: “Homes for the North, with the support of political and business leaders, has been calling for a change to the funding rules and planning formula to ensure the right homes are built in the right places. We are really pleased that the Government has been listening and seems to be serious about changing policies which have been a real barrier to the delivery of the type of homes that are needed in the North.”

“Good quality housing is of critical importance to the growth of the northern economy, the wellbeing of its people, and the people who wish to make the North their home in the future.

“We will continue to work with this Government to make the case for housing as a fundamental part of the levelling-up agenda and will be watching carefully to see if the detail to come matches up to the positive headlines announced today.”