Lib Dems set ‘ambitious’ housing targets in election manifesto

Real estate figures have welcomed some “ambitious” proposals for the built environment in the Liberal Democrats’ manifesto, the first launched ahead of the 4 July general election. The party, led by Sir Ed Davey, said it would increase building of new homes to 380,000 a year across the UK, including 150,000 social homes, through 10 new garden cities and community-led development of cities and towns. “Government housebuilding targets are regularly missed and the shortage of affordable and social housing is at crisis point,” the party said. “Newly built homes are often energy-inefficient and environmentally-unfriendly. Too many new houses are built as leasehold and leaseholders still face large bills, not least because of the building safety scandal. Homelessness remains shamefully high. Local authorities’ powers to build the kind of homes needed in their areas are inadequate.” No-fault evictions would be banned, making three-year tenancies the default, and a national register of licensed landlords would be created. The party would abolish residential leaseholds and cap ground rents to a nominal fee. Local councils would be able to set their own planning fees and introduce “use-it-or-lose-it” planning permission for developers that refuse to build. “Concrete proposal” Melanie Leech, chief executive at the British Property Federation, said: “It is good to see the Liberal Democrats support an ambitious housing target. In taking that target to another level, however, it is important that they harness the ability of emerging sectors such as build-to-rent and older people’s housing to bring forward new housing supply, and to enable faster build out rates, especially in development such as new towns, which the party explicitly commits to.” Aidan Van de Weyer, senior planner at Lanpro Services, said: “From a planning perspective, the top lines in the Lib Dem manifesto are really positive. The delivery target of 380,000 homes year is welcome – but ambitious. As we know from recent experience, meeting housing targets is always controversial. The greater the housing target, the greater the controversy.” He added: “The Lib Dems have come up with a concrete proposal for solving the resourcing problems of local authorities: allow councils to set their own fees for planning applications. The impact of this will vary depending on how much freedom is given to councils. But with substantial freedoms allowed, this risks creating a two-tier planning service: wealthy, attractive areas get well-resourced planning teams, while quality in less affluent areas drops as councils compete to bring in development – perpetuating the rich/poor divide which already impacts far too much in our planning system.” Nathan Emerson, chief executive at trade body Propertymark, said: “It is encouraging to see housebuilding targets being taken seriously within the first manifesto released, especially a realisation that more social homes are required so that people have access to a greater provision of housing. “Propertymark has always believed that ground rents should be capped, so it is good to see that similar proposals are being referenced in the Liberal Democrats’ manifesto. It will be interesting to see what mechanism they intend to use should they succeed in ending no-fault evictions.” An emergency home energy upgrade programme would offer free insulation and heat pumps to low-income households, while the party would also immediately require all new homes and non-domestic buildings to be built to a zero-carbon standard, including being fitted with solar panels. The Lib Dems would reintroduce requirements for landlords to upgrade the energy efficiency of their properties to EPC C or above by 2028. Louise Hutchins, head of policy at the UK Green Building Council, said: “The Lib Dems have understood people are looking to politicians to tackle the housing and health crises. We welcome the ‘emergency home energy upgrade programme’ and renter’s rights for millions in cold, mouldy homes they can’t afford to heat. “Ensuring new homes have public services, green spaces and are protected from climate risks like flooding are all sensible proposals. What we haven’t seen is a commitment to fight for the scale of public investment needed to make this happen. Anything less than £64bn over 10 years for home upgrades alone is unrealistic.” Green investment The party said it would “invest in green infrastructure, innovation and skills”, boosting economic growth and creating jobs at the same time as tackling the climate crisis. The focus on infrastructure would include renewable energy and zero-carbon transport, industry and housing, as set out in chapters 4, 5, 14 and 16, as well as giving a clearer zero-carbon remit to the UK Infrastructure Bank. “We aim to make Britain one of the most attractive places in the world for businesses to invest,” the party said. “Only in partnership with responsible, sustainable businesses can we tackle the cost-of-living and climate crises, and create the wealth to invest in healthcare, education and other essential public services. “Private enterprise is the principal engine of growth and prosperity in the UK. We will support it by creating a stable business environment with smart regulation and investing in skills, infrastructure, research and innovation. In return, we expect businesses to commit to promote skills, equality and good governance, and to support their local communities.” The Lib Dems also aim to support science, research and innovation by continuing to participate in Horizon Europe and joining the European Innovation Council, and would aim for at least 3% of GDP to be invested in research and development by 2030, rising to 3.5% by 2034. Read the manifesto in full >> Image © Thomas Krych/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock