The review, commissioned by the Labour Party, identifies the changes which need to be made to the housing and planning policy to ensure the delivery of homes and communities of the future.
The review includes three policies that aim to “unlock” 200,000 new homes a year by 2020. These are:
• Power for local communities to build homes in places people want to live.
• Councils must produce a homebuilding plan and allocate sufficient land for development.
• First-time buyers from the area can get priority access to the new homes.
The BPF has praised the review for its thorough approach to scrutinising the planning process, in particular the focus on enforcing and delivering local plans and the requirement for them to include a private rented sector provision.
It also welcomed the commitment to encouraging institutional investment in the housing sector. This will be delivered through clearly agreed local partnerships and plans, and increased focus on delivery and funding from the Homes and Communities Agency, which will help boost the build-to-rent sector.
The ‘use it or lose it’ proposals, which would reduce planning permissions from three to two years and charge local authorities council tax on sites not developed within a certain time frame, did cause some concern.
The reduction in planning permission time is thought to be problematic in a downturn, as it could lead to a year-long hiatus in development once activity picks up. Large schemes, however, would be exempt from these proposals, which would be welcome.
Liz Peace, chief executive of the BPF, said: “We were told that the Lyons Review would be meaty, and it has certainly proved to be so. The sensible review is extremely comprehensive and pinpoints exactly where problems in the planning system are and comes up with thoughtful solutions. While some proposals, for example those surrounding ‘use it or lose it’, may be difficult to implement, on the whole the review shows a clear understanding of the major problems of the planning system, and how these impact on development in the UK.
“It would be fantastic to see other political parties commit to such a thorough and all-encompassing review like this one.”
