Social Housing Weekly - 15 July 2024

A word from us

In a noted change from the last Government, I can hardly keep up with the housing-centric announcements from the new Labour administration.

Having barely featured in the manifesto (see my thoughts on that here), housing has re-emerged as a key priority, admittedly as part of a wider infrastructure focus that has economic growth as it's priority. Gone are the days when housing is seen as a human right, rather than necessary infrastructure to support growth.

With Angela Rayner at the helm of a newly re-christened Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (welcome back, MHCLG!), we're seeing signs of an "interventionalist" approach. Similar to her predecessor Gove perhaps, but with greater political capital in her party to deliver on the changes she wants. Whether this means call-ins and public comments on the sector's "transgressions" as Mr. Gove was known for is yet to be seen - but my instinct says yes. 

Today's missive focuses on perhaps the most interesting of Labour's housing / planning policies - the reclassification of poor quality "green belt" to allow for development. My respected colleague Peter sets out a somewhat sceptical view which I confess got me thinking; I'd never really considered "urban sprawl" as a big problem.

Is it so bad if cities grow? After all, people don't like if we build up ("densification") and so we will have to build out ("sprawl") if we are to deliver the new homes everyone accepts we desperately need - but no one seems to want to built near them.

My view is that it's better to build on golf courses (a notorious environmental scourge, especially in increasingly water-scarce times) and other not-so-green bits of the "belt" and deliver homes than it is to not. It's also, ironically, probably an easier sell locally, in many places, than building more high rise towers in already dense cities. 

Read on to hear what Peter's view is - and let us know, who's side are you on anyway?

Harriet Shone

LCA Director

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Grey area or golden opportunity?

Spotlight on Grey Belt policy - by Peter Lord

The Government's much-trailed plans to reclassify "low-quality" Green Belt land as "Grey Belt", removing its protection from development, have felt something of a headline without a policy.

The idea that "unattractive" Green Belt land should lose their protection, begs the obvious question: who should decide that this land is poor quality? The cynic could also ask whether the government quite understands what the Green Belt is for. As the Green Party pointed out last month "the Green Belt wasn't established only to protect nature sites - which is important - but also to prevent urban sprawl."

Of the five purposes of the Green Belt, outlined in the NPPF, only one mentions countryside, while others address the merging of towns, urban sprawl and, interestingly, encouraging the re-use of derelict urban land. The government's position that land which is not sufficiently green has no value as part of the green belt would appear to rather miss the point. A preponderance of beauty spots and rich biodiversity, while delightful, are not prerequisites in a buffer zone.

Clearly the public at large believes that the Green Belt is important, with YouGov finding that 42% oppose new housing on the Green Belt. How many of these equate Green Belt land with completely rural areas is, of course, unclear. Local authorities, perhaps predictably, are divided on the merits of the "Grey Belt" proposals, with Labour and Lib Dem councils more likely to support the changes, while a number of Conservative commentators feel that it takes too much power away from local authorities. And this is before we even start to consider the response of organisations such as CPRE.

So what to make of this policy then? I think it is far too early to judge until we know which areas of land will be reclassified and who will make this decision. While this may feel like an extension of a "brownfield first" priority, it has the possibility to erode those vital buffer zones simply because certain pieces of land are currently in a use which is seen as worthless. If "green" is the operative word, a disused car park may have just as viable a future as a new nature reserve as a new block of flats.

Housing in the headlines

Reeves lays down the planning law, putting housing and development policy front-and-centre of economic speech

Planning policy continues to dominate the new government's policy agenda, as Sir Keir Starmer moves into his second week in Number 10. In her first official speech as Chancellor of Exchequer, Rachel Reeves pledged to review the National Planning Policy Framework "before the end of the month". She also announced that she would restore mandatory housebuilding targets, in an effort to deliver the Government’s target of 1.5m homes by the next election.

Reeves also committed to relax planning restrictions on so-called ‘grey belt’ land, including an enhanced presumption in favour of development. Other restrictions to be relaxed include those surrounding critical infrastructure, transport and energy, as well as abolishing the de facto ban on new onshore wind turbines. 

More Labour MPs in rural areas might not pose a challenge to Labour's pro-development stance

New Labour MP for Chipping Barnet, Dan Tomlinson, has said the new ‘influx’ of younger MPs will ‘reflect the voting coalition’ and demand for tackling the housing crisis. Writing in OnLondon, Tomlinson states the theory that more Labour MPs in less built-up areas in suburban and rural Britain will lead to Labour reversing its pro-development policies ‘couldn’t be more wrong’ and new Labour MPs will not ‘shy away’ from planning reform.

New government promises more devolved powers for metro mayors

The Prime Minister and Secretary of State Angela Rayner have met with England’s ‘metro mayors’, including Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, to discuss a new ‘wave’ of devolution deals and empowerment for regional government. Starmer said that local leaders ‘make much better decisions’ than Westminster politicians, and that his ‘door is open’ to better and more ‘bold’ ways to deliver services outside of Whitehall.

Social landlords unprepared for new repair deadline legislation

The Housing Ombudsman has warned that the social housing sector is ‘not ready’ for the introduction of Awaab’s Law, which requires social landlords to respond to repairs requests within specific timescales. In its latest severe maladministration report, the Ombudsman highlights 27 social landlords whose poor responses to complaints about leaking plumbing are not ‘consistent’ with a prepared sector.

Mooted City Hall developer could unlock 1,600 homes in a decade

BusinessLDN and PwC have published a report which finds that the GLA could deliver 1,600 new homes over 10 years, if £100m is invested in a proposed City Hall developer. Delivered as a commitment in the Mayor of London’s 2021 manifesto, the report recommends the developer lead as a partner to public sector landowners, complementing private development to avoid competition.