In a Green Paper on Planning yesterday called ‘Open Sourcing Planning’, the Conservatives argued for abolishing housing targets set by regional assemblies and allowing local councils to set them.
The Conservatives said it would allow neighbourhoods to come together to solve problems and help build stronger communities.
The National Housing Federation (NHF) said the proposals could lead to fewer affordable homes, by scaling back the use of Section 106 agreements, which guarantee the provision of a certain number of affordable homes per development.
David Orr, chief executive of the NHF, said: “The proposal to scrap Section 106 and replace it with a tariff system requires a leap of faith that the delivery of new homes will be maintained. Section 106 delivers 40% of all affordable housing, but the Conservative proposals as they stand will put this delivery at too great a risk.”
He added: “If a new planning system operates as the Conservatives envisage, all will be well; if it doesn’t, we could lose up to 64,000 new affordable homes over three years.”
