Councils call for powers to tackle stalled housing schemes

The Local Government Association has called for councils to be given powers to step in at stalled housing developments. The government is expected to bring forward its Accelerated Planning Green Paper with new measures to ensure build-out rates. The LGA said this could be achieved if local authorities had greater powers to direct diversification of products and compulsory purchase orders. It added that the government should consider financial incentives, such as council tax charges, to push build-out rates. The LGA said developers currently have land with consent for 423,000 homes that have not yet been built. It said councils are approving nine in 10 sites, and last year gave consent for 350,000 homes – an 11-year high. But the LGA stressed that the planning departments are “severely under-funded”, with taxpayers effectively subsidising some £200m of planning application costs. It called on the government to give local authorities greater funding and flexibility to play “a full role” in housing provision. This includes direct delivery with reform of Right to Buy to allow local authorities to retain their social housing supply. To send feedback, e-mail emma.rosser@egi.co.uk or tweet @EmmaARosser or @estatesgazette