‘We are building housing market for the future’, Ministers claim

MINISTERS TODAY reinforced their commitment to “building a housing market for the future”, insisting that recent build rates overall have actually hit a nineyear high.

In July, the Government published the latest revised version of its NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework) – its planning rulebook – where new Housing and Communities Secretary James Brokenshire, pledged to shift the focus onto building the right number of quality new homes in the right locations.

The plan also sets out a new way for councils to calculate the housing need of their local community.

Mr Brokenshire said at the time: “Fundamental to building the homes our country needs is ensuring that our planning system is fit for the future.

“I am clear that quantity must never compromise the quality of what is built, and this is reflected in the new rules.”

Responding to the latest findings on varying regional build rates, a spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “This Government is committed to building a housing market fit for the future and 217,000 new homes were delivered in England last year.

“This is up 15 per cent on the previous year and the highest increase in nine years. We have also set out an ambitious programme of reforms to boost housing supply – including planning reform and targeted investment to help us deliver an additional 300,000 properties a year by the mid2020s.” Under current policy, the UK Government does not set concrete housebuilding targets, but rather advises councils to set their own estimates based on their local plans. However Mr Brokenshire’s predecessor Sajid Javid had earlier threatened to start imposing strict targets on council areas which failed to deliver enough homes. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland set their own housing growth indicators.