Coverdale Barclay’s Post

The Government has proposed another round of reforms to permitted development rights to boost housing numbers in England. But the changes could lead to a reduction in standards, loss of green infrastructure and erosion of placemaking. Supply is critical but quality matters. The #NRLA wants to see more safe, high quality homes made available. However, permitted development necessarily has limits and is not the mechanism to deliver this. ✅ Removal of restrictions for development with minimal impact that will support efforts to decarbonise e.g. installation of EV charging infrastructure and air source heat pumps. ❎ Further easing of rights to extend outwards and upwards threatens to reduce safety and quality standards and undermine the plan-led system. We need a housing strategy encompassing all tenures that prioritises quality, sustainability and the well-being of communities. Not a misplaced reliance on permitted development to deliver housing. https://lnkd.in/e37ZnZk4 #housingcrisis #housingsupply #PRS #planningreform #PDRs

There have been a lot of posts about what the manifestos say re planning and housing (with an understandable focus on Labour given the state of the polls) so to try and put a different angle on it I've given a bit of thought (potentially dangerous) as to HOW Labour might achieve its policy aims. I've got a full piece in the editorial machine here but by way of quick headline: 🏠 1.5 million new homes - The Letwin review (2018) said a pacey build out rate for a large site is a median 6.5% a year. To year end June 2023 264K homes received planning permission. Unless build-out rates massively speed up we're going to need to what, at least double this number of homes being permitted each year? How to do that? Short term I think LPAs are going to need to rely on the private sector to staff up massively (this is happening already - see for example Lichfields UK) and I think serious thought needs to be given to making large-scale housing schemes an NSIP so they can benefit from better programme certainty and additional powers in the order e.g. CPO. 📄 - Mandatory housing targets and local plan intervention - A good start but mandatory targets need to make their way into updated Local Plans. Otherwise it's planning by appeal which is delay and cost. The SoS already has the power to intervene in the Local Plans process but do PINS have the capacity to quickly get involved in taking over lots of LPs? 🏙 - Brownfield first - Viability is usually the problem. If there's no extra money from the state then what other choice is there than to ask the developer what they need to make it commercially acceptable (whilst also requiring high levels of affordable). If something has to give and it isn't the public benefits then isn't it higher, denser etc? 📗 - Release the 'Grey Belt' - If every LPA with GB is going to have to do a GB review then the next Government needs to issue PDQ a standardised methodology for GB review. To get a LP through asap we may need to punt the GB review into a topic specific DPD. 🏙 - A generation of new towns - The private sector can't and won't do this alone. The hand of the state is needed for money, infrastructure, land assembly etc. If there's no extra cash then some creative capital markets/finance lawyers are going to need to help with tax increment financing, municipal bonds etc 🏡 - Biggest increase in social and affordable housing in a generation - There's a reference here to strengthening planning obligations. Insider tip - there aren't enough planning lawyers in LPAs. Short term outsourcing to get through the s.106s is going to be necessary. On the delivery front don't forget the smaller players who aren't commercially driven e.g. community land trusts. They need to be helped as much as the big players who deliver volume. 💷 - Mortgage guarantee scheme for first time buyers - I'm all for the principle but for those at the back what happens if you increase demand but supply doesn't keep pace?

Learn about the latest in-fill affordable housing reforms. Dive into the details and stay ahead in the evolving landscape of housing development. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/g6ssuGsj #ProjectLawyers #AffordableHousing #HousingReforms #LegalInsight #LegalUpdates

🏗️🏠 Exploring Ireland's Housing Landscape: Can 50,000 Homes a Year Be a Reality?   The housing conversation in Ireland is heating up as the government aims to boost residential production to over 50,000 homes annually. But is this ambitious target feasible?   Last year saw approximately 32,600 homes built, leaving a significant gap to bridge. Challenges abound, from insufficiently serviced zoned land to a scarcity of planning permissions. Despite labor shortages often cited, developers contest this as a primary constraint to ramping up housing supply.   Glenveagh and Cairn Homes, the two primary listed developers, have shown incremental growth but face limitations in scaling further. Glenveagh's Stephen Garvey asserts that achieving the 50,000 target necessitates deeper state intervention to enhance affordability—a sentiment echoed by others in the industry.   Greg Kavanagh, a seasoned developer, believes small- to medium-sized developers possess the capacity to bolster output. However, financing hurdles and prolonged sales processes impede progress. The housing crisis is seen not just as a shortage of homes but as a liquidity crisis, hampering the entry of new builders into the market.   The government's initiatives, including the Land Development Agency (LDA), aim to augment supply, albeit with a reliance on private developers. Labor shortages, often portrayed as a key impediment, face scrutiny, with employment levels showing consistent growth in the construction sector.   Amidst debates over the viability of the 50,000 target, one thing remains clear: addressing housing challenges requires a multifaceted approach, blending state intervention with private sector innovation.   #IrishHousing #Construction #HousingCrisis #Development #RealEstate #Ireland2030 🏡   More info here: https://bit.ly/3wyiAbn

Learn about the latest in-fill affordable housing reforms. Dive into the details and stay ahead in the evolving landscape of housing development. Read more from Project Lawyers’ Maysaa Parrino here: https://lnkd.in/gvHVKH94 #ProjectLawyers #AffordableHousing #HousingReforms #LegalInsight #LegalUpdates

Why are SME home builders struggling while demand for homes soars? 🏡 The HBF’s 5th annual State of Play report highlights the challenges facing SMEs. Here are 5 key takeaways from the report: 🏗️ SMEs are pivotal to solving the housing crisis, but barriers remain. 70% of small and medium-sized homebuilders say it is harder to operate now than five years ago due to planning bottlenecks and rising costs. 🕰️ Planning delays hit SMEs hard. 94% of surveyed developers cited delays in securing planning permission as the top barrier to growth for the fifth consecutive year, with 51% waiting over a year for approval. 🗳️ Local and political opposition adds fuel to delays. 78% of SME developers identified local or political opposition to new development as a significant barrier, with Southern regions feeling the greatest impact (83%). Streamlined delegation and consistent national policies are urgently needed to depoliticise the planning process. 💰 Affordable housing in jeopardy. Developers delivered 140,000 affordable homes in five years, but uncontracted Section 106 units are rising due to financial challenges for housing associations. 41% of SMEs view this as a major barrier. 🌿 Sustainability challenges loom. While new builds emit 35% less carbon than older homes, 72% of SMEs say preparing for the Future Homes Standard is a barrier, with calls for incentives like green Help to Buy to drive adoption. Streamlining the process and addressing resource gaps in planning authorities is critical to unlocking the potential of SMEs. It’s time to clear the bottlenecks and get Britain building again. #PlanningReform #SMEBuilders #HousingCrisis #Infrastructure #PlanningDelays #AffordableHousing #CommunityDevelopment #HousingSupply https://lnkd.in/eg6yAWij

Legislative reform......who needs it! With the significant changes announced to housing policy over the last few months, the review of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 has gone quiet. But, if you can change policy so significantly, and "fast track" so many proposals under the present statutory framework, why change it? Of all of the provisions in the current Act, the heavy lifting is pretty much being done by, and under, one provision, namely section 20. That's the provision that allows the Minister to amend the planning schemes by-passing the usual notice and process requirements for a planning scheme amendment, including by-passing the oversight by VCAT under section 39. Under 20(4), the Minister introduced the fast track clause 53 provisions under which permits for major housing proposals are determined, and the same with so many major non-housing applications. Under 20(4) Specific Control Overlays for major (and some not so major) one-off developments are dealt with overcoming zoning hurdles. Under 20(4) any fast track amendment whether it's a PSP, a framework plan, a new DCP or anything remotely significant, is dealt with first as a so called "draft" amendment, and then, potentially after an advisory committee report, as a 20(4) amendment without formal notice. Under 20(4) the whole activity centre regime will be changed. New controls and zones for and around activity centres will be applied. At a stroke, under 20(4) the Minister can change who is responsible authority in any part of the state. And because of section 20(4), the development facilitation program can function. It's a powerful and potent provision and in the last few years it's limits have been pushed so far with little resistance. But as powerful and potent as section 20(4) is, it is also subject to some important limits. It is only able to be used if the Minister considers that compliance with any of those requirements is not warranted or that the interests of Victoria or any part of Victoria make such an exemption appropriate. It can't be used where a Public Acquisition Overlay is proposed. It, like any regulatory instrument, requires that the amendment is tabled before parliament, and like any regulatory instrument, the amendment is able to be disallowed by a vote of either house of parliament. So, in the review of the Act, it will be most interesting to see what happens to the current section 20 provisions. Will they be tightened or expanded, or will they be left in place as they are? Like many things, when you are the beneficiary of an advantage, the provision seems a good thing. On the other hand when things are being changed so radically, perhaps there is a question whether that was the original intent and purpose of the provision. #planningreform #watchthisspace

🚨 NPPF Reforms: What They Mean for Housing 🚨 The government’s updated National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) aims to deliver 1.5 million homes by 2029, with bold changes including: • Mandatory Housing Targets to meet regional quotas. • Grey Belt Land unlocked for affordable housing. • Brownfield First approach to prioritise sustainable development. • A stronger focus on design, sustainability, and affordable housing. These changes create opportunities for housebuilders, housing associations, and local authorities. Highlight are here to help navigate these changes, offering holistic operational support. Contact Highlight to find out how we can work together to meet the demands of the new NPPF and deliver good-quality, affordable housing across the UK. #AffordableHousing #NPPF #SustainableDevelopment #HighlightHousing #StandOutSolutions

This article begins to explain the deficit in Council-issued dwelling approvals recently. Within 6-months of Amendment VC242 being gazetted, a supply backlog of 30,000 dwellings has been released to the State's Development Facilitation Program. I wonder how long this pipeline had been anticipating the Premier's Housing Statement and what impact that has had on housing affordability? Meanwhile Council planning and building departments have been mired in interpreting and implementing the inept and ambiguous reforms relating to Amendment VC243. The current planning reforms have emerged as a strategic ploy to wrest planning controls away from local government and Victorian communities, centralising them within announcement-hungry State agencies. It's easy to annouce a number of dwellings in an approvals pipeline. What's more cumbersome? * Discharging complex permit conditions * Reviewing and approving changes to plans * Liaising with referral agencies and parties * Carrying out necessary enforcement actions, and * Coordinating local infrastructure delivery All of these actions are needed to facilitate the construction of the 30,000 dwelling approvals. It seems the State expects Councils to carry out these actions pro bono, with little meaningful input into initial dwelling approvals. Sonya Kilkenny Jacinta Allan Planning Institute of Australia VPELA Property Council of Australia Department of Transport and Planning Harriet Shing Homes Victoria Patrick Fensham https://lnkd.in/gv9hSDXJ

Newly tabled reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework created a promising but ambitious plan for UK developers to contribute more affordable housing across the country. But the challenges are complex and the impact to existing schemes could create roadblocks. https://lnkd.in/g_yxQyT3 #CRE #UKdevelopment