The Conservative's manifesto pledges to deliver 1.6 million homes over the next five years, a 7% uplift on The Labour Party’s target.
According to a statement made by Michael Gove in February 2024, 2.5 million homes have been delivered since 2010, which would equal an average of circa 0.89 million every 5 years. So how exactly would a Conservative Government nearly double this past delivery if it were to enter another term?
At the forefront of this is a goal to streamline the planning system through a brownfield-first approach, which includes a proposed fast-track planning route for homes on previously developed land in the UK’s 20 largest cities, and a greater focus on urban densification. No details of this fast-track route have been specified - we strongly urge for this to result in less supporting information having to be prepared for planning applications, and for consequences to be enforced on local authorities who do not work proactively with applicants.
The Conservative's take a more defensive approach to the Green Belt than Labour, despite its housing targets being more ambitious. One pledge it makes that could make a vast and positive difference to the rate of housing delivery in the short-term is the abolishment of current nutrient neutrality requirements and requiring developers to pay a one-off mitigation fee. However, we have already seen that the legal challenges and barriers of implementing this in law and practice are complex and uncertain, so this cannot be relied on.
A key topic not addressed in The Conservative Party manifesto is how it intends to support the resourcing of Councils and underfunded planning services which are critical to delivering high-quality, sustainable homes in places people want to live. The manifesto frequently talks about ‘speeding’ up the delivery of new homes and infrastructure but this can only be achieved if effort is made to improve the quality of planning service Councils are currently providing.
The Conservative Party’s failure to acknowledge the systemic issues embedded within the current planning system, including the lack of planning officers and the drawn-out and outdated Local Plan-making process is very disappointing, particularly considering its promise to ‘streamline’ the planning system.
Overall, there is nothing new here and surprisingly little is said about how a Conservative Government would actually reform the planning system to make housebuilding easier. Unless there is a change in administration, the same and ever growing challenges to planning will continue, and housing delivery will continue to suffer.