The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has noted the emphasis on the planning system’s pivotal role in the government’s plan to revive the UK economy, as outlined in the King’s Speech.  Victoria Hills, Chief Executive of the RTPI, commended the government’s efforts to increase the capacity of local planning authorities and underscored the potential impact of these measures on restoring trust in the planning system and fostering thriving communities. Victoria Hills, Chief Executive of the RTPI, said: “The government has laid the groundwork for achieving its housing and infrastructure ambitions by setting plans to increase the capacity of local planning authorities. We believe that these measures will not only restore trust in the planning system but also demonstrate that with sufficient resources, the planning system can effectively create spaces where communities can thrive. “It is essential for planners to make a significant impact within the government’s first parliamentary term. To achieve this, measures such as ringfencing resources, allowing councils to set their own fees at an appropriate level for their area, and enabling full cost recovery for their services need to be implemented quickly.” On modernising planning committees: “The Institute believes planning committees need modernisation and could include a national scheme of delegation, allowing planning officers to make some decisions themselves. Qualified planners should be able to implement agreed planning policy, freeing up councillors’ time to focus on the most challenging planning cases. This change would help to unblock many applications and speed up the planning process.” “The RTPI will also be considering how our experiences running the Politicians in Planning network (PiPN) can inform any new training for politicians on planning committees. We will also examine how the hybrid or virtual planning committee models, which we successfully advocated for, can help to open up the planning process to a more diverse and inclusive range of people.” On Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects: “We have repeatedly emphasised the importance of clearer, more spatial and up-to-date national infrastructure policy to speed up project delivery and clarify where projects should be delivered. This involves updating our National Infrastructure Strategy and requiring National Policy Statements to be reviewed at least every 5 years.” On devolution: “We have long called for metro mayors to have strategic planning powers. We welcome today’s announcements as an essential step in ensuring that the new housing developments are well located and well integrated with industrial strategy, to deliver the billions in economic growth that our research has shown is possible. We believe it will  not only enhance cooperation across housing market areas and diminish local political obstacles, but provide certainty to investors.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Propertymark is keen to see the UK Government clarify how it intends to deliver more homes following the King’s Speech.   The professional body has previously argued that the new UK Government would need to build a large, new housing estate with over 1000 homes every day to hit its target of 1.5 million new homes by 2029.   During the King’s Speech yesterday, His Majesty said: “My ministers will get Britain building, including through planning reform, as they seek to accelerate the delivery of high-quality infrastructure and housing (Planning and Infrastructure Bill).”   Prior to the King’s Speech, the new UK Government pledged to study reform of the national planning framework, including restoring compulsory housing goals for local authorities, as part of their plan to construct 1.5 million new homes by the end of this parliament.   Propertymark has also previously called on the UK Government to redefine what the green belt is so that there can be a focused programme of building on brownfield sites first.   Nathan Emerson, CEO at Propertymark, comments:    “Pledges from the new UK Government to build 1.5 million new homes and to reform the national planning policy framework to restore compulsory housebuilding targets for local authorities are welcome, as this country desperately needs to ensure supply meets increasing demand and ultimately make home ownership more affordable.    “However, Propertymark has previously highlighted that for the new UK Government to meet its ambitious housing targets there must be a full review and wide-ranging stakeholder engagement to ensure there is sensible infrastructure in place to enable new developments to flourish and compliment the areas they are built within. “It is imperative that existing areas which are available for use are strategically prioritised for redevelopment above greenbelt land – moving forwards there must be a ‘connected communities’ approach and one which integrates and enhances already established metropolitan areas.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

New government figures reveal a significant decline in Right to Buy (RTB) sales, with overall sales down by 43% in London, reflecting a decrease across all UK regions last year. The data shows that there were 6,275 RTB sales in London last year, a sharp decline from the 14,085 sales the previous year. The report indicated that nine stock-owning authorities, including some with substantial housing stock, did not submit their figures in time for publication. However, even with these additional figures, the total is estimated to only increase to between 6,750 and 6,820. This year’s figures are comparable to the sales during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic when there were 6,861 sales. Although sales had increased in the subsequent two years, they have now dropped again. The data also reveals a fall in sales across all regions last year. Despite London having one of the highest numbers of RTB sales, the year-on-year decline is evident. The number of sales in the capital was 1,081, the lowest since 2013. London also has one of the lowest rates of sales relative to its housing stock, just above the South East and the South West. The number of sales per 1,000 social housing properties in London was just 2.8%, a significant drop from the 2015 peak of 10%. Since the RTB scheme started in 1980 until 31 March 2024, there have been over 2,026,893 sales across the country. A spokesperson from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government commented: “As part of our mission to get Britain building again, we will build 1.5 million homes over this parliament and create the biggest wave of social and affordable housing in a generation. Our ambitious plan to increase overall supply will make homes more affordable, and we will work with councils to replace the homes sold under Right to Buy.” The Labour Party’s manifesto includes a commitment to prioritise the building of new social rented homes and to better protect existing stock by reviewing the increased RTB discounts introduced in 2012 and increasing protections on newly built social housing. One expert believes the significant drop in RTB sales could be due to higher borrowing costs, which is also believed to have contributed to a decline in overall house sales last year. Alex Diner, senior housing researcher at the New Economics Foundation (NEF), stated: “While higher borrowing costs are likely behind this reduction in Right to Buy sales, the scheme still requires serious reform. Right to Buy continues to have a chilling effect on councils’ ability to build new homes. Powers should be devolved to councils, who know their areas best, to tailor the policy to local circumstances. The receipts system should also be reformed to allow councils to replace homes that are sold. These reforms would allow Right to Buy to help resolve the housing crisis, rather than contribute to it as it currently does.” The NEF has previously called for the devolution of the Right to Buy scheme following research published in May, which provided an update on how many homes sold under the policy are now owned by private landlords. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

The London Homes Coalition – a partnership of major housing associations, contractors and specialist suppliers in London – has today launched the ‘Building Skills for the Future’ report, which identifies the critical risk to the maintenance, retrofit and provision of London’s social and affordable housing. Based on a first-of-its-kind analysis of the consolidated work programmes of the seven key housing associations in the Coalition, the report identifies a demand of 10,000 people annually to meet their asset management commitments, and up to 31,000 to deliver new build planned investments over the next five years. Combined, the Coalition’s pipeline represents about 10% of the overall construction workforce in the capital, which is a significant proportion considering the competing needs of other housing association and council house building and asset management programmes. Without further action, the Coalition alone faces a potential shortfall of around 2,600 skilled people to deliver these investments. This challenge will be particularly critical for specific trades and occupations. For example, the Coalition alone will require 8-10% of the London’s roofers and carpenters & joiners, which already face significant recruitment pressures.  Considering current recruitment trends, the Coalition would only have 85% of the roofers and 78% of the surveyors needed to provide and maintain affordable housing across the capital over the next five years. Additionally, the mutually competing demand for these skills from both low carbon retrofit pressures across all development sectors and the asset management requirements of London’s housing associations is further straining the workforce available for both. The UK social housing sector invests billions annually in improving and maintaining homes, significantly contributing to community value, job creation, and economic growth. Fiona Fletcher-Smith, Chief Executive Officer at L&Q, highlighted the opportunity and challenge this provides: “A quarter of London’s new homes are built by housing associations, and we are responsible for maintaining and investing in over 700,000 homes across the country. However, our workforce is ageing, retiring, and not being replaced by newly trained staff. This growing challenge threatens the provision of genuinely affordable, warm and safe housing in the capital.” The London Homes Coalition recognises the need for sector-wide collaboration, engagement with further education and training providers, and close cooperation with government bodies at national, regional, and local levels. The Building Skills for the Future report outlines three key strategies: Key to achieving this will be to redouble efforts to ensure the workforce is representative of the capital and the people the London Homes Coalition serves. Currently, women represent only 14% of the construction workforce in London, with significantly lower percentages (around 2%) in trade occupations. Similarly, ethnic minorities only make up approximately 24% of the construction workforce in the capital. Careers in these trades offer excellent pay, conditions and scope for progression but these opportunities aren’t reaching all of London’s diverse communities. Targeted initiatives will not only address immediate labour shortages, but will also build a more robust and diverse talent pipeline for the future. Elly Hoult, Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive at Peabody, said “We recognise there is no ‘quick fix’ to this issue. It needs a long-term plan, with organisations across the sector working together to bring about significant change. This is an important first step and we welcome more organisations to join the London Homes Coalition. Together, we’re finding ways to get more people from all backgrounds into construction jobs, while addressing the skills gap that increasingly becomes a barrier as we aim to build more homes and refurbish many others.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals