Chief Planner Hints At Backtrack On Section 106 Reforms

Joanna Averley says government will proceed ‘incredibly carefully’ with proposed changes to the developer contribution system. The government appears set to row back on radical proposals set out last summer to ditch the current Section 106 system in favour of a flat-rate infrastructure levy across England. In comments to an online event hosted by the Campaign to Protect Rural England, housing ministry chief planner Joanna Averley said the government will instead proceed “incredibly carefully” in bringing in any reforms. She said it was “very aware” of the “micro” nature of landscapes and housing markets in England. Read more on the Housing Today website.

https://www.housingtoday.co.uk/news/chief-planner-hints-at-backtrack-on-section-106-reforms/5109884.article

Developers Will Be Able To Build Estates Of 50 Homes Without Any Affordable Housing

Developers will be able to build estates of 50 homes without setting any aside for affordable housing under the Government’s controversial planning reforms, a coalition of charities has warned. In a letter to the Telegraph, the chief executives of Shelter and CPRE, the countryside charity, argue that the plans should be scrapped because they do not deliver the type of housing that “communities are crying out for". Research has shown that in rural and affluent areas, affordable housing could fall by half under the proposals put forward by ministers last month. Read more on Yahoo News.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/planners-able-build-estates-50-160359417.html?guccounter=1

Rural Homelessness In England Rises By 115% In Past Two Years

Homelessness in rural areas in England has more than doubled in the last two years, according to analysis published as campaigners warn of planning reforms likely to worsen the situation. The number of households categorised as homeless in rural local authorities in England rose to 19,975 – an increase of 115% from 2017-18 – according to the countryside charity CPRE, and the Rural Services Network, which represents many parish councils and other countryside organisations. The rise in numbers of households owed homelessness relief by councils, according to government figures, has been greatest in the north-east and north-west of England but an increase has happened in all areas. Read more on the Guardian website.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/oct/28/rural-homelessness-in-england-rises-by-115-in-past-two-years 

Research Reveals There Is Enough Brownfield Land For 1.3 Million Homes

A national charity has accused the government of “gravely misdiagnosing” the problems with housing delivery after it published new research that suggests there is enough brownfield land in England for 1.3 million homes, of which more than half a million already have planning permission. CPRE, the national countryside charity, has published a report which also suggested that there are currently enough homes in the planning system to meet the government’s delivery targets. Read more on Inside Housing.

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/charity-hits-out-at-planning-reforms-as-research-reveals-there-is-enough-brownfield-land-for-13-million-homes-68270

Rural Social Housing Crisis ‘Left Behind’

Over half (58%) of rural local authorities’ waiting lists for social housing have grown between 2018 and 2019, according to analysis of the government’s own housing figures. According to a new report by CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England), the backlog in unmet demand for social housing is continuing to grow year on year, with hundreds fewer genuinely affordable houses delivered last year compared to the year before. According to reports, in 2018/19, a little over 1,000 social homes were delivered across 91 rural local authorities in England. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/rural-social-housing-crisis-left-behind-report-reveals/

Government Urged To Prioritise Brownfield Housing Development

A government serious about tackling the housing crisis must prioritise building on brownfield land, the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) has said. ACE also makes a case for stabilising in social housing policy by ensuring a flat 15% provision in any development. Releasing a wide-ranging election manifesto – Infrastructure for everyone – ACE references the government’s own figures as showing a recent drop in brownfield development, with 56% of developments on previously developed land, down from 61% in 2016. The Campaign to Protect Rural England has previously estimated that more than one million homes could be built on brownfield sites. Download the report from the ACE website.

https://www.acenet.co.uk/media/4422/ace-manifesto-2019.pdf

Housing Supply Spike Misses The Point

Government figures showing the supply of homes at a near 30-year peak failed to address major concerns around housing affordability and quality, according to a major charity. The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) acknowledged the latest figures, showing 241,130 “net additions” to England’s housing stock in the 12 months to March 2019, were good news for those looking to get on the housing ladder. But it warned the headline numbers “masked the question of whether those homes are affordable to the people who need them, are of a standard that people would want to live in or will even be occupied on a permanent basis by anybody”. Read more on the Housing Today website.

https://www.housingtoday.co.uk/news/housing-supply-spike-misses-the-point-says-cpre/5102750.article

New Affordable Housing Definition Could Halve Rural Rents

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) says its stats show low income families living in communities across the countryside could save more than £31 million a year – if affordable rent levels were set according to the net income of tenants, rather than market rates. Analysis released by CPRE comes with a call for changes to how ‘affordable’ housing is defined. Currently, rents set at 80% of the standard market rate are classified as ‘affordable’, which is still out of reach for many families and those on low incomes. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/new-affordable-housing-definition-could-halve-rural-rents/

More Than One Million Homes Could Be Built On Brownfield Land

A new analysis of councils’ Brownfield Land Registers pitches the huge potential that building on derelict and vacant land has more than one million new homes – without the loss of countryside or ‘green space’. Published by CPRE, the analysis highlights space on suitable ‘brownfield land’ to accommodate more than one million new homes, two-thirds of which are ‘shovel ready’ and could make an immediate contribution to meeting housing need, as they have been confirmed as being deliverable within five years. Prioritising this land also provides a steady pipeline of housing, as more than 120,000 of the potential new homes have been added to the registers in the past year alone. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/more-than-one-million-homes-could-be-built-on-registered-brownfield-land/

Government ‘Heaping Pressure’ On Councils Over Housing Targets

With the HRA borrowing cap lifted, government has to stop “heaping pressure” on councils to deliver unrealistic housing targets that erode Green Belt land, the CPRE has said. CPRE planning campaigner Rebecca Pullinger says analysis of new MHCLG stats shows that for too long housebuilders have been able to use land as a tool to “manipulate and monopolise the market only to serve their own interests”. “Instead, developers should be held more accountable to deliver the homes that they have promised,” Pullinger says. The MHCLG says its stats show the Green Belt is 24,500 hectares bigger than it was in 1997 – taking into account land reclassified as a national park. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/government-heaping-pressure-on-councils-over-housing-targets/

CPRE Warning As 460,000 Homes To Be Built On Green Belt Land

The green belt remains under severe pressure, despite government commitments to its protection, according to a new report from the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE). The report highlights that there are currently 460,000 homes being planned to be built on land that will soon be released from the green belt. CPRE add that of these 460,000 homes, the percentage of affordable homes will be just 22%. Last year 72% of homes built on greenfield land within the green belt were unaffordable by the government’s definition. CPRE add that there is currently enough brownfield land to build a million homes and are calling on the government to pursue a “brownfield first” approach to development. Download the report from the CPRE website.

https://www.cpre.org.uk/resources/housing-and-planning/green-belts/item/download/5486

Countryside Being Lost To Housing At An Alarming Rate

New government data shows that despite promising signs of an increase in brownfield development, greenfield land is still being lost to housing development at an unnecessary rate. The amount of farmland, forests, gardens and greenfield land lost to housing development each year has increased by 58% over the past 4 years, according to an analysis by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE). CPRE’s analysis of an annual report highlighting changes in land use, published by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government on 31 May, shows that the area of ‘non-previously developed land’ lost to housing annually has been steadily rising, from 2,105 hectares of land in 2013, to 3,332 hectares of land in 2017. Read more on the CPRE website.

https://www.cpre.org.uk/media-centre/latest-news-releases/item/4867-countryside-being-lost-to-housing-at-an-alarming-rate-increase-brownfield-development

Half Of Affordable Homes In Rural Areas Lost To Viability Assessments

A study carried out by housing charity Shelter and the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) found that developers wriggled out of providing 938 affordable homes in eight rural councils in 2015/16 using viability testing. Researchers sifted through planning documents from 154 applications where 1,966 homes were initially supposed to be affordable. Viability assessments allow developers to limit their contributions to infrastructure and affordable housing by demonstrating that to do so would not guarantee them “competitive returns”. They are generally not disclosed to the public, though a number of councils have started forcing developers to publish the documents.  Read more on the CPRE website.

http://www.cpre.org.uk/media-centre/latest-news-releases/item/4785-rural-communities-denied-affordable-housing-as-developers-exploit-loophole

Brownfield Registers Identify Land For More Than 1 Million Homes

An analysis of Brownfield Land Registers confirms that there is enough space on brownfield land to build at least one million new homes, with more than two-thirds of these homes deliverable within the next five years.  Many of these sites are in areas with a high need for housing. This means that three of the next five years’ worth of Government housing targets could be met through building homes on brownfield land that has already been identified. The Campaign to Protect Rural England found that the 17,656 sites identified by local planning authorities, covering over 28,000 hectares of land, would provide enough land for a minimum of 1,052,124 homes. Read more on the CPRE website.

https://www.cpre.org.uk/media-centre/latest-news-releases/item/4768-brownfield-registers-identify-land-for-more-than-1-million-homes

Countryside Faces ‘Fuel Poverty’ Crisis

People living in rural areas have been left behind by government drives to make homes more energy efficient, charities have warned. This leaves them vulnerable to rising energy prices. Research by National Energy Action and the Campaign to Protect Rural England shows that rural areas are five years behind urban areas in the energy efficiency of homes – and are paying nearly 55% more for their fuel as a result. The charities have called on ministers to establish new energy-efficiency initiatives to help people reduce their energy consumption, particularly those in fuel poverty, who cannot afford to heat their homes. Read more on the Observer website.

Green Belt Set To Get 360,000 New Homes

The number of homes being planned on green belt land in England has increased to more than 360,000, according to countryside campaigners, who fear ministers are poised to weaken protections to meet ambitious building targets. The assessment by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) found that the number of homes planned on sites previously meant to block urban sprawl has risen from 81,000 in 2012 to 362,346, with the largest number slated for development in the north-west and east of England. The threat comes after Sajid Javid, the communities secretary, recently praised Birmingham city council for allowing housebuilding on green belt, but he has also described green belt as “absolutely sacrosanct”. Read more on the Observer website.

CPRE Wary Of Some Policies Announced In The Autumn Statement.

The Chancellor has been warned of an “urban sprawl” particularly in the South East after he spoke of funding for new homes for “in-demand” areas. CPRE has also warned the funding could result in a failure to deliver national growth. Paul Miner, planning campaign manager at the CPRE, says: ““We hope the Government’s welcome new funding for affordable housing will provide a fair share for rural communities, where only 8% of the housing stock is affordable”. CPRE have also expressed their wishes for the new housing White Paper. Read more on the CPRE website.

Affordable Rural Housing: How Landowners Can Help

People across the country are struggling to find affordable places to live. But what’s often overlooked is the fact that rural areas are being hit so much harder by the lack of affordable housing. Only 8% of housing in rural areas is classed as affordable, compared to 20% in urban areas. Add to this the fact that rural wages are on average lower than those in urban areas, and it’s not difficult to see why rural communities are facing a crisis. To keep rural communities thriving, we urgently need to find a way to get more affordable homes built. With strong ties to their communities rural landowners naturally have an interest in helping their communities flourish. By investing in affordable housing on their land, landowners can help provide places for local people to live – as well as benefiting from a steady, low-risk investment stream. Read more on the CPRE website.

More Than A Million Homes Possible On Brownfield Land

New research by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) shows that suitable brownfield sites across England can provide at least 1.1 million new homes. The Government had described a previous CPRE estimate of around 1 million homes as ‘wildly over optimistic’. Now, using the Government’s own pilot brownfield register scheme, CPRE has calculated that suitable brownfield sites can provide between 1.1 and 1.4 million new homes. CPRE studied the findings of 53 councils that have published their data on suitable sites, and found that these areas alone could provide 273,000 homes. Comparing this new data with the last available data from 2010-2012, CPRE noted an 11% increase in the number of homes that could be provided on suitable sites. Read more on the CPRE website.

New Homes Eroding Green Belt 'At Fastest Rate For 20 Years'

The number of houses planned for England’s green belt has risen to 275,000, nearly 200,000 more than four years ago, making a mockery of government pledges to protect the countryside, a report says. The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) says the number of planned homes on the green belt has increased by 55,000 in a year, with the area around London and the West Midlands under particular threat. The group accuses councils of altering green belt boundaries to accommodate housing at the fastest rate for two decades, and the government of facilitating the practice. Read more on the Guardian website.