Housing minister backs proposals to bolster SME builders

Housing minister Christopher Pincher has welcomed proposals for changes to planning to further support SME developers. Reforms from think-tank Centre for Policy Studies would see land under large housebuilders offered to SMEs if they fail to deliver within specified timeframes. CPS is calling for these changes to be agreed in planning permissions, alongside a sharper focus on the Housing Delivery Test with penalties for council that do not meet targets. The group says local authorities should be supported by a framework of local SMEs so that public sector land is sold with delivery targets to ensure quality and diversity. Pincher said: “This CPS report is a very welcome contribution to the debate around both housebuilding and planning reform. I am particularly pleased that the report has highlighted the important role that SMEs can and should play in delivering more homes and helping the United Kingdom’s economy build back better. “A successful SME sector is crucial in our shared objectives of planning reform and increased housebuilding.” His comments follow the government’s recent decision to drop a number of changes to the planning system to support SMEs, ahead of the wider reform outlined in the Planning White Paper. The government will now no longer introduce permission in principle for small sites, affordable housing exemptions or revisions to the standard methodology for identifying housing targets, as proposed last August. GPS head of policy, Alex Morton, said: “The government’s planning reforms are very welcome. But we need to focus on delivery and learn from previous attempts to fix England’s housing supply problems. “The reforms we are proposing would help create a new, better planning system that focuses on ensuring delivery, working alongside the other proposals government is bringing forward. “We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix these issues, and with a Planning Bill under way, now is the time for action.” To send feedback, e-mail emma.rosser@egi.co.uk or tweet @EmmaARosser or @estatesgazette Image © Syaibatul Hamdi/Pixabay