Responding to the announcement of a draft new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), CPS Director Robert Colvile said:
‘This announcement contains some overwhelmingly positive changes, many of which the Centre for Policy Studies and others have been calling for for some time. Reviewing green belt land, streamlining planning, forcing local authorities to have up-to-date local plans and restoring the presumption in favour of sustainable development will help unlock additional housebuilding across the country.
‘Of course the devil is in the detail. Alarm bells should be ringing about scaling back our ambitions for building in London, where the housing crisis is most acute, and the requirement for at least 50% of new homes in the green belt to be affordable looks to be extremely tough to achieve, and will result in fewer houses being built.
‘Overall, however, the new Government should be applauded for its determination to increase the number of homes being built, and help address the root causes of Britain’s housing crisis.’
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
- Robert Colvile is Director of the Centre for Policy Studies.
- Our recent housing reports have made the case for housebuilding, argued for a new Right to Buy, brownfield assessments to turn empty shops into homes, and turning planning permission into development contracts to accelerate the speed at which land is developed into new homes.
- For further information and media requests, please contact Josh Coupland on 07912 485655 and [email protected].
- The Centre for Policy Studies is one of the oldest and most influential think tanks in Westminster. With a focus on taxation, economic growth, business, welfare, housing and green growth, its goal is to develop policies that widen enterprise, ownership and opportunity.
Date Added: Tuesday 30th July 2024