Important to have a say on all housing in local areas

Eight in ten residents feel that it is important to be able to comment on individual plans for all housing developments in their local area.

The Local Government Association survey found that 82 per cent of respondents felt it was important to be able to comment on individual plans for all housing developments in their local area, with 49 per cent of those saying that the issue was ‘very’ important.

The government is set to bring forward wide-ranging proposals for planning reforms in a forthcoming Planning Bill later this year. The LGA says it is vital that a local, democratically-led planning system remains in place so local communities can continue to have their say on individual developments, and ensure the right homes are built in the right places, supported by the right infrastructure.

Council leaders also want to see the removal of permitted development rights, which allow buildings such as offices and shops to be converted into housing without needing full planning permission where residents can comment and, if necessary, object.

Latest figures show more than 1.1 million homes given planning permission over the past decade are yet to be built, and councils are approving nine in 10 planning applications. There is also land for more than one million additional homes already allocated in Local Plans which developers have not yet brought forward to the planning application stage.

The LGA is calling on government to introduce measures to incentivise developers to build housing more quickly, for example, by giving councils powers to be able to levy full council tax on incomplete properties, as recently supported by the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee.

David Renard, LGA housing and planning spokesperson, said: “Councils want to work with government to address the national housing shortage and develop the detail of its Planning Bill. We are committed to building the right homes supported by the right infrastructure, where they are most needed. However, as our polling shows, the overwhelming majority of local residents say it is important for them to be able to comment on all housing developments in their local area.

“People are rightly proud of where they live and so it is vital their voice can be heard, whenever, for example, a developer wants to build homes in a neighbouring field or in their street. This is why it is critical that the Planning Bill ensures a locally-led planning system remains in place, where communities have the power to shape and define the area they live in, street by street, and not just place by place.”