Government failed to assess impact of zoning on housebuilding
The government has not conducted any assessment to understand the impact of a zonal planning system on housebuilding, despite plans expected to be released later this week.
A Freedom of Information response to housing charity Shelter reveals the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has also not made any assessment of how long it would take to implement.
When asked for these assessments, a representative for the knowledge and information access team responded: “We have undertaken work to look at various international planning systems but have not carried out assessments falling within the scope of your request.”
The government has not conducted any assessment to understand the impact of a zonal planning system on housebuilding, despite plans expected to be released later this week.
A Freedom of Information response to housing charity Shelter reveals the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has also not made any assessment of how long it would take to implement.
When asked for these assessments, a representative for the knowledge and information access team responded: “We have undertaken work to look at various international planning systems but have not carried out assessments falling within the scope of your request.”
It follows housing secretary Robert Jenrick’s pledge to introduce zoning in a long-awaited reform of the planning system.
In an article in the Sunday Telegraph, Jenrick said there will be three types of zone: growth zones for automatic approvals, renewal zones with permission in principle but a requirement for a planning application, and protected zones, such as the green belt.
John Bibby, policy manager at Shelter, warned those growth zones could lead to reduced section 106 contributions, reducing affordable housing.
He said: “There are major problems with the way the land market functions at present, which slow down housebuilding and lead to fewer new social homes being built than are needed while landing big developers with eye-watering profits.
“But tackling those problems and keeping housebuilding afloat through the recession will require more proactivity and investment, not a more hands-off, one-size-fits-all approach.
“And critically, when the country has a desperate shortage of social housing, dramatically increasing new social housebuilding must be at the centre of the government’s plans, not potential collateral damage.”
See also: Zoning in on the planning system
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