Government launches New Homes Accelerator

A new expert group has been set up to speed up delivery of housing, deliver 1.5 million homes and boost economic growth.

A team from the Ministry of Housing and Homes England will be working across government and local councils to accelerate hundreds of thousands of new homes that are partially built or stuck in the planning system, and therefore help to end the housing crisis and drive growth.

The group will bring together key players, including government agencies, local planning departments and housebuilders, who will work to resolve specific local issues and deploy planning experts on the ground to work through blockages at each site identified.

The New Homes Accelerator could provide resources to support local planning capacity where there are barriers and work across the board to make sure planning decisions are made in a timely fashion.

Analysis from the government suggests that 200 large sites have outline or detailed plans ready to go but are yet to begin construction.

Deputy prime minister, Angela 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.  

“Our New Homes Accelerator will quickly identify blockages, fix problems and support local authorities and developers to get shovels in the ground.”

David O’Leary, executive director of 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 house building. Government has shown a welcome desire in the weeks since the election to address the problems. A lack of planning department capacity and misaligned incentives for other public bodies and statutory consultees has created a process with huge uncertainty. This creates an abundance of risk resulting in longer development timescales and severe challenges in particular for small and medium-sized house builders.

“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.”