UK govt to change planning rules to free land for new homes

Planning rules on brownfield sites in the UK are being removed to free up land for development with more homes being built for first time buyers, the government has announced.

The housing budget is to be directed towards new low cost homes for sale for first time buyers and housing association tenants are to be given the right to buy, Chancellor George Osborne has confirmed.

He also announced that the government will bring forward sales of land, buildings and other assets the government bought or built, raising up to £5 billion over the course of this Parliament with the funds from these sales being recycled to help fund new infrastructure projects.

Osborne added that a new independent National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) is being created charged with offering unbiased analysis of the UK’s long term infrastructure needs. The NIC will begin work immediately with Lord Andrew Adonis as its first chairman.

It is likely that up to 40 towns and cities in southern England could be doubled in size to deal with the country’s housing crisis as Lord Adonis has spoken about bold initiatives needed to deliver the huge number of new homes required.

He is known to favour the idea of building a new generation of garden cities or garden extensions to existing towns. Indeed, in an article written just weeks before his appointment, he said central government should intervene to massively extend towns including Guildford, Norwich, Reading, Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon.

He is also known to back the idea of a new requirement on local authorities to use more of its public land for housing. His vision is likely to be bold and include central and local government leading development in partnership with the private and voluntary sectors.

Melanie Leech, chief executive of the British Property Federation, welcomed the announcements. ‘In order to create places where people will live as well as work, we would hope to see discussion as to whether large scale housing schemes could be considered within significant infrastructure projects. This would enable the development industry to deliver a large number of homes, quickly,’ she said.

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Source: Property News Spain