Rayner launches New Homes Accelerator to unlock development

Experts from the Ministry of Housing and Homes England will lead a New Homes Accelerator, launched by deputy prime minister Angela Rayner today. The accelerator aims to unlock hundreds of thousands of new homes stuck in the planning system or partially built. The team will work across government and with local councils to accelerate the build-out of housing schemes delayed by planning issues and red tape. Rayner said the team would bring together key players, including government agencies, local planning departments and housebuilders, which will work to resolve specific local issues and deploy planning experts to work through blockages at each site identified. This includes looking at barriers to affordable housing delivery where relevant.  Interventions could see the New Homes Accelerator provide resources to support local planning capacity and work across the board to make sure planning decisions are made in a timely fashion.  Government analysis suggests 200 large sites have outline or detailed plans ready to go but are yet to begin construction, and the team is already working on some that would benefit from early interventions. Rayner said: “For far too long the delivery of tens of thousands of new homes has been held back by a failure to make sure the development system is working as it should. This government has a moral obligation to do everything within our power to build the homes that people desperately need and we won’t hesitate to intervene where we need to.” Sites identified for the accelerator to get to work unlocking include Stretton Hall in Leicestershire, Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community in Essex, and Biggleswade Garden Community in central Bedfordshire, which have the potential for some 10,000 new homes. The New Homes Accelerator was initially announced as part of the chancellor’s speech outlining the government’s national mission to drive growth in July. A call for evidence has been launched today calling on landowners, local authorities and housebuilders to come forward with details of blocked sites that have significant planning issues, so the government can better understand the scale of the problem. David O’Leary, executive director at the Home Builders Federation, said: “The planning process and everything associated with it delivers too little land and has long been a significant constraint on housebuilding. Government has shown a welcome desire in the weeks since the election to address the problems… “Adopting a pragmatic approach to planning will increase the pace at which new homes are built and help to turn around ailing housing supply. Unlocking homes and delivering new communities will boost growth and support job creation while providing young people with access to new, more affordable housing. The housing market is complex and we look forward to working with government to ensure that all aspects of the housing market are functioning more effectively.” Mark Skilbeck, UK planning director at Taylor Wimpey, added: “Taylor Wimpey has long been clear that there is a need to address the significant delays and resource constraints we are seeing in the planning system, and to move to a much more strategic approach to planning.” “The creation of the New Homes Accelerator shows the government is listening to both our industry and the millions of people who are unable to access a decent, permanent home,” said Stephen Teagle, chief executive of Vistry Partnerships & Regeneration. “Delivering large-scale housing development involves overcoming a host of overlapping obstacles – from planning and infrastructure through to funding challenges. Unblocking these pathways will lead to the development of thousands more high-quality sustainable homes while helping to drive economic growth. We look forward to contributing to the accelerator to ensure it is viable and able to deliver results.” Image: Biggleswade © HCA Design