A Local Authority has been given the go ahead by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to repossess a rental property left empty and in disrepair since 2018. Objections raised by the property owner were overruled by a Planning Inspectorate hearing and the Council will now ensure the building is sold to a new owner who will renovate and occupy it within a reasonable timeframe.

Targeted at clearing empty buildings, former car parks, and industrial land for development, the £68 million will be delivered directly to 54 councils through the Brownfield Land Release Fund. The UK Government has stated that 5,400 houses will be built across the UK with projects in Manchester, Eastbourne, Northampton, and Weston-Super-Mare already confirmed.

Practical measures to ensure local demand is properly considered and a realistic approach to incentives for developers and landowners are key issues Propertymark members highlighted in the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) consultation.

Concerns about the amount of available housing, pressure on local services, and a perceived threat to the area's character are behind the decision by Rugby Borough Council to use new powers to stop the spread of houses of multiple occupations in the town.

As part of its brownfield-first approach to development, the UK Government has announced plans to support and expedite the approval of urban sites to sit alongside their plans to deliver 1.5 million homes.

Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary, Angela Rayner, MP, addressed the inaugural meeting of the New Towns Taskforce on 17 September 2024, asking them to identify and recommend locations for the next generation of new towns within 12 months.

Speaking in the House of Commons on 30 July 2024, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner, MP, has begun to elaborate on the updates to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which is a key step in the UK Government’s plan to boost housebuilding. A consultation is taking place over the summer and a revised NPPF will be published before the end of the year.

The implementation of the new rules will mean property owners in the designated area must gain planning permission before changing the use of a main home into a second home or short-term holiday accommodation. Gwynedd Council will bring the Direction into effect from 1 September 2024.

Opening the new session of Parliament, King Charles III announced more than 40 Bills the UK Government has committed to introduce, with housing and planning firmly in the spotlight. Housebuilding, renters’ rights, and leasehold reform are all on the legislative agenda, along with significant devolution of powers to local authorities.

Rt Hon Vaughan Gething, MS, has set out his priorities for the rest of this Senedd term, with building safety, homelessness, visitor accommodation, and planning all forming part of the programme. Radical and transformative change which matters most in people’s lives is what the Welsh Government will be concentrating on, and the First Minister is looking forward to a renewed, genuine partnership with the new UK Government to unlock opportunities across Wales.

In a roundtable meeting with all the regional mayors in England, the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister have discussed how to scale up devolution and give regional governments greater control over unlocking economic growth, powered by housebuilding, in their areas. Local Growth Plans were also on the agenda, and the mayors were tasked to identify local specialisms and contribute to a national industrial strategy.

The Rt Hon Rachel Reeves made her first speech as Chancellor of the Exchequer today, 8 July 2024, emphasising three key policy pillars of stability, investment, and reform. Watched from the front row by Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook and Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband, she began to elaborate on Labour’s manifesto commitments on planning by announcing an immediate review of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), a task force to unblock stalled developments, and making clear that Ministers will take an interventionist approach to get Britain building.

Every council in England will be told they must reduce bureaucracy and be more flexible on planning proposals that boost housebuilding in urban areas, in line with the UK Government’s long-term plan for housing.

Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the Rt. Hon Michael Gove, MP, has announced the publication of a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) today, 19 December 2023. Reaffirming the UK Government’s commitment to building homes across England, he promised to take action against councils that miss deadlines to submit their housing plans.

Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Levelling Up outlined plans to unleash building on underused sites in high-demand regions, along with a new design code to improve the quality of new homes, with the UK Government committing to passing the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill and updates to the National Planning Policy Framework later in 2023.

In 2021, it was estimated that there were over 1.1 million homes in England that had obtained planning permission but were waiting to be built. Propertymark believes that the planning system needs to be simplified to speed up housebuilding and boost supply.