Boris Johnson unveils “radical” planning reforms

The government will launch a Policy Paper this month setting out how it intends to overhaul England’s seven-decade old planning system.

The measures include a plan to widen the scope of commercial buildings that can be converted to residential use without planning permission.

Under the proposals, housebuilders will not need a “normal planning application” to demolish and rebuild vacant and redundant residential buildings if they are to be rebuilt as homes.

Property owners will also be able to build additional space above their properties through a “fast track” approval process, subject to neighbour consultation.

These changes are planned to come into effect by September.

The government said: “These changes will both support the high street revival by allowing empty commercial properties to be quickly repurposed and reduce the pressure to build on green fields land by making brownfield development easier.”

The government also announced a package of measures designed to boost housebuilding. It confirmed a £12bn affordable homes programme, first aired in the March Budget, that will support up to 180,000 new affordable homes for ownership and rent over the next 8 years.

Included in this will be a 1,500 unit pilot of ‘First Homes’ - houses that will be sold to first time buyers at a 30 per cent discount which will remain in perpetuity.

The government has also allocated funds from the £400m Brownfield Land Fund to the North of England to support around 24,000 homes.

It will also hand an additional £450m to The Home Building Fund to help smaller developers access finance for new housing developments. This is expected to support delivery of around 7,200 new homes.

Stuart Baillie, Knight Frank head of planning, said: “While the headline proposals could well have the power to kick-start the economy, my concern is that the small print may well restrict and limit these plans from triggering really meaningful change. The Government is right to prioritise and consider brownfield sites first, given the number of sites in need of reuse and redevelopment. However, the priorities seem to be one dimensionally residential at present.

“What about land for research and development to support the science agenda and the wider context of supporting UK industry? And what about sustainable development in the greenbelt? Much is being made of a raft of new permitted development rights now being pushed through to accelerate residential development.”

He added that the “devil will be in the detail”, given controls being proposed for the upward extension of blocks of flats. “We expect to see similar restraints on forthcoming PD Rights for redevelopment of commercial buildings for new residential and for upward extension of individual houses. Comments from the Planning Minister this week appear to indicate that the more radical proposal of moving to a ‘zoning’ system of planning may be too radical for the forthcoming White Paper.”