Council Housebuilding ‘At Its Highest Level Since 1990’

Council housebuilding is at its highest level since 1990, with at least 9,000 homes directly created by councils in England over in 2017-2018, a report finds. Released by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), the report is based on figures supplied by 83 English councils to an online survey showing that, of these homes, 42% are affordable and 23% are social. Projecting the figure across the whole of England, the research estimates that over 13,000 new homes were delivered by English local authorities last year – the highest since 1990. MHCLG figures suggest that the previous high for local authority housebuilding was 14,020 homes in 1990. Read more on 24housing.

https://www.24housing.co.uk/news/council-housebuilding-at-its-highest-level-since-1990/

44% Of Councils Have Housing Company

Nearly half of councils have set up a housing company in a bid to help deliver new homes, according to a new report. The study, carried out by academics from University College London (UCL) on behalf of the National Planning Forum and the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), has estimated that 44% of the 353 local authorities in England have set up their own companies. It found that two-thirds of councils, or 65%, are directly involved in housing delivery, with a further 22% considering moving into active provision. Download the report form the RTPI website.

RTPI: Green Belt Should Be Considered For Housing

The green belt should be considered for new housing, the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has said. In a policy statement, the RTPI said the government’s upcoming Housing White Paper needs a “fresh approach” to direct where new housing should be located. The statement said: “Green belt boundaries may well need to change, but only after a careful review over wider areas than single local authorities, where safeguards are put in place to ensure development is sustainable, affordable and delivered in a timely manner, and without prejudice to the renewal of brownfield land”. Download the policy statement from the RTPI website.

RTPI: Planning Reforms Are Hampering Housebuilding

More than half of planners surveyed by the Royal Town Planning Institute believe planning reforms have hindered the building of new homes. A report published today by the RTPI called Delivering the value of planning is heavily critical of what it calls the “almost continual changes in planning policy” over the last 30 years.  The report reveals 53% of 420 RTPI members to respond to an online survey think planning changes have hindered housing development, while 73% said they have “hindered their ability to deliver good places”. It said changes to policy, along with local government budget cuts, have limited the ability of planning authorities to ensure more and better development. Download the report from the RTPI website.

Councils Risk Undersupply of Housing

New research suggests that local councils in England may be underestimating housing need by up to 30% in some cases, due to an overreliance on Government household projection data, according to the Royal Town Planning Institute. The research examined the CLG’s household projection figures and suggests that in some cases the projections are likely to poorly reflect likely local household need. Government’s household projections form the basis for calculating housing need in councils’ Local Plans, which determines how much housing is planned for an area. The key issues are whether councils treat the Government projections as a starting point which can be varied according to robust local evidence, and how practical it is for them to produce a robust evidence base that will be accepted by the Planning Inspectorate when it examines the Local Plan. Read more on the RTPI website.

Report Sets Out Blue Print to Help Build Thousands of New Homes

A new report from Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI),  the body that represents  23,000 planning professionals working in the public, private, charitable and education sectors globally, outlines 15 key measures needed to boost house building. The report highlights how the new homes can be built in the places where they are most needed by unlocking existing large scale housing schemes and potential sites across England and Scotland. The recommendations focus on five pinch points  – community engagement, land, infrastructure, finance, and leadership and governance.  Download a copy of the report from the RTPI website.

House of Lords and Treasury Urged to Back Plans To Deliver More Council Housing

A coalition of influential organisations in housing and property construction has urged the House of Lords to back a drive to build more council housing.  The British Property Federation (BPF), London Councils, the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), and many other organisations have jointly signed a letter calling for the rules that stop councils undertaking measured borrowing to be lifted.  The letter calls on the government to remove the Housing Revenue Cap. It points out that as well as easing the housing crisis, the move would be good for growth and could create 19,200 jobs, cutting unemployment and welfare dependency. Read more on the Housing Excellence website.