Labour’s planning reform… what could this mean for the UK’s development industry? Friday, 12th July 2024

The first working day for the new Labour Cabinet kicked off this week with a speech from Chancellor Rachel Reeves announcing the new Government’s commitment to planning reform, and highlighting the crucial role the planning system plays in boosting economic growth across a wide range of sectors.

Ingleton Wood’s Planning Team has reflected on what the Chancellor’s speech may mean for The United Kingdom’s development industry, encompassing several key areas.

National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) reform

Targeting 1.5 million new homes in five years is no mean feat, and the Chancellor was clear that we need the right mix of housing with a focus on affordable and social rent.

To deliver this, the Government will consult on a new “growth-focused” NPPF later this month, which will include the commitment to restore mandatory housing targets.

Appropriately evidenced and locally set housing targets are a crucial policy tool to incentivise the delivery of housing. This is by no means a carte blanche for speculative developments, but it may open some future opportunities outside of current commitments.

Green Belt

The Green Belt is a hugely emotive topic but, in our view, it is promising to see meaningful commitments to review the way in which the planning system works within the Green Belt.

This review won’t necessarily lead to an open-door policy for development within areas that remain Green Belt, but it will be vital for The UK’s economic growth that some flexibility is applied to Green Belt boundaries and policy.

The rhetoric on Green Belt is certainly an indication of this Government’s direction of travel for greenfield sites more widely; particularly for other areas of the Country without designated Green Belt.

We expect this to be reflected in the proposed reforms to the NPPF.

Onshore wind

Following the legislation announced in May 2015 that resulted in an effective ban on onshore wind, the new Government has wasted no time in entirely removing this policy working, which has prevented new permissions for onshore wind turbines for the best part of 9 years.

This could be a big win for the net-zero agenda.

With recent investments in offshore wind and other renewable energy industries across the UK, the skillsets required for onshore wind energy development should remain strong. From working in this industry before 2015, our own Planning Team possesses significant expertise in this area and can assist clients from project inception on new wind energy sites.

Nutrient neutrality

At this early stage, it appears there will be no immediate government intervention on the issue which is currently one of the more significant blockers to residential development in some areas of the UK.

However, the timing of these announcements and the very fact they were delivered by the Chancellor demonstrates the priority of planning reform on the new government’s agenda.

We hope this is a sign that the planning system can be used as a positive tool to provide opportunities for economic growth across the UK, rather than being seen as a constraint to development.

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