The Rt Hon Angela Rayner’s proposals to reform the planning system
‘Our plan is ambitious, it is radical, and I know it will not be without controversy’
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A summary of the headlines from Angela Rayner’s letter to Local authorities setting out proposed changes to the planning system
“Earlier today, I set out to the House of Commons the Government’s plan to build the homes this country so desperately needs. Our plan is ambitious, it is radical, and I know it will not be without controversy – but as the Prime Minister said on the steps of Downing Street, our work is urgent, and in few areas is that urgency starker than in housing.“
Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government
30th July 2024
Universal coverage of Local Plans - Our goal has to be for universal coverage of ambitious local plans as quickly as possible.
Strategic Planning - We will therefore take the steps necessary to enable universal coverage of strategic planning within this Parliament, which we will formalise in legislation. This model will support elected Mayors in overseeing the development and agreement of Spatial Development Strategies (SDSs) for their areas.
Housing Targets - We intend to restore the standard method as the required approach for assessing housing needs and planning for homes. Local authorities will be expected to make every effort to allocate land in line with their housing need as per the standard method….making sure that the right kind of homes are delivered through our planning system as quickly as possible.
Green Belt and Grey Belt - We are consulting on changes that would see councils required to review boundaries and release Green Belt land where necessary to meet unmet housing or commercial need. A target of at least 50% of the homes onsite being affordable.
Growth Supporting Infrastructure - We are also proposing changes to make it easier to build growth-supporting infrastructure such as laboratories, gigafactories, data centres, electricity grid connections and the networks that support freight and logistics.
Capacity and Fees - We want to see planning services put on a more sustainable footing…to allow local authorities to set their own fees…
Social and Affordable Housing - We will bring forward details of future Government investment to help deliver the biggest increase in affordable housebuilding in a generation.
Next Phase of Reform - We will introduce a Planning and Infrastructure Bill later in the first session, which will: modernise planning committees by introducing a national scheme of delegation that focuses their efforts on the applications that really matter, and places more trust in skilled professional planners to do the rest……..
For more information see www.gov.uk
