Thousands of homes near train, tram, and underground stations are expected to be helped along by new planning rules
Having new homes near rail stations will offer many families a house closer to where they work or study, and provide easier access to transport across the country.
The new planning rules are ‘common-sense’ changes designed to fast-track homes in well-connected areas.
Boosting local economies
Building homes in these areas is also expected to create jobs, drive investment, growth, and further connect communities.
These changes to the National Planning Policy Framework will set a default ‘yes’ to homes within a reasonable walking distance of well-connected train stations, as well as establishing minimum expectations for the amount of housing that should be built in these areas.
Standards have also been put in place to prevent excessive gold-plating where national standards are already in place.
The government has also announced that they have reached the quarter-way mark to achieving 1.5m new homes.
Secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, Angela Rayner, said: “A safe, secure home is the foundation of opportunity, but too many people are being priced out of the communities where they want to live and work.
“By unlocking thousands of homes around well-connected transport hubs, we’re helping people live closer to work, school and the services they rely on, while backing local businesses and driving growth in our communities.
“That’s how we’ll tackle the housing crisis and raise living standards for people in every corner of the country.”
The NPPF is undergoing scrutiny and changes
In March, a consultation on proposed NPPF changes closed, with organisations including RIBA, LGA, CIH, and the BPF sending their responses.
Called “the most significant re-draft of government planning policies since its introduction in 2012” by Colliers, many responses praised the clearer language used, as well as the re-introduction of strategic planning, but some hesitancy remained with viability, and the risk of creating new issues for housing and infrastructure contributions if not handled adequately.
Cllr Tom Hunt, chair of the LGA’s Inclusive Growth Committee, said: “These proposals represent a huge shake up to planning policy and we recognise the government’s pledge to deliver more homes, better integrated with infrastructure and connected to jobs and amenities. However, to succeed, local government and its views must remain at the heart of planning and delivery.
“Planning is about shaping the future, creating places and communities that work, building homes, linking with economic activity and public services, conserving and improving the natural and built environment, and ensuring the right decisions are made on issues that matter to residents. Councils must retain the ability to tailor decision-making processes and policies to reflect the specific needs and ambitions of their communities. The involvement of councillors, as the elected representatives of local people, in planning decisions is the backbone of the English planning system.
“Councils need to be given the powers to ensure sites with planning permission are built out promptly, because our residents and communities do not and cannot live in planning permissions”
Read the full response, as well as others, here.
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