Housing plans not war on rural England, says minister tophyper

The Government is “not waging war on rural England” with plans to force councils to allow more homes to be built in their areas, the Housing Secretary has said.

Matthew Pennycook has hit back at Tory claims that the government was “building up” Green Belt land.

He told MPs that new housing targets for local councils were focused on parts of the country where housing was less expensive – and it was “wrong” to say rural areas would bear the brunt of the changes.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has made increasing housebuilding a major priority, promising to build 1.5 million new homes in England over the next five years.

“Our plan for change will put builders, not disabled people first, fix a broken planning system, put roofs over the heads of working families and drive growth that will put more money in people’s pockets,” the Prime Minister said.

However, councils, including some Labour-run authorities, It has previously raised concerns that higher housing targets would be nearly impossible to meet.

They point to pressures on local infrastructure, land shortages and lack of capacity in the construction industry as among the constraints on building homes.

Under the updated National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)Previously developed land – known as ‘brownfield’ sites – will be prioritized for new homes.

However, Pennycook told the House of Commons that the allocated land alone would not be enough to provide the number of homes the country needs.

Councils will also be required to review green belt boundaries – created to prevent urban sprawl – by identifying low-quality “grey belt” land on which to build.

The government said construction will be allowed on green belt land, but must comply with a set of “golden rules”.

Developers will need to prioritize necessary infrastructure, such as nurseries and GP surgeries, as well as ensuring affordable housing and access to green spaces.

Pennycook said the government had listened to comments from councils who wanted housing to be better targeted in areas where affordability pressures were most acute.

London, the south-east and the east of England now have higher housing targets than those proposed by the government in July, while targets for other regions are lower.

However, Conservative shadow housing secretary Kevin Hollinrake said: “This planning framework pushes development into rural areas, putting concrete on the green belt and green fields and on our green and pleasant land, rather than focusing on supporting construction in urban areas, where we need Construction. “More.”

He added that it was important that “vital” homes were built in the right places with the right infrastructure and that the government would “work to bulldoze the concerns of local communities.”

Craig Bennett, chief executive of Wildlife Trusts, said there was a risk to the environment from plans to boost house building.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that building new homes would be a “huge historic missed opportunity” “in a way that destroys nature, not at the same time restoring and rebuilding our natural infrastructure”.

Overall, councils have been told they must reach a joint target of 370,000 new homes a year – although the Government has not set a date for when this will be achieved.

It is expected that not all homes planned for this target will be delivered within five years.

Earlier, Pennycook told the BBC that councils would be given no “wiggle room” on meeting housing targets, and would only have a say in “how development happens, not whether it happens at all”.

He said the government was “prepared to use all ministerial powers at our disposal” if councils refused to draw up a local plan to meet housebuilding targets, including canceling the plan from them.

The government has also promised £100 million of extra money for councils and an additional 300 planning officers to speed up decision-making processes.

She said local authorities would have 12 weeks to set timetables for new home construction plans or risk interference from ministers.

The Local Government Association (LGA) said tackling local housing challenges would require a “collaborative approach” between councils and government.

LGA spokesman Adam Hogg said councils and communities that know their local areas well are “better placed to make governance decisions about how to manage competing demand for land”.