Whitehall Must Reform ‘Viability Tests’, Campaigners Say

The Government must amend the definition of ‘affordable housing’ and change its approach to viability testing in its updated planning framework, campaigners say. Two organisations have called on Whitehall to ‘clarify and strengthen’ its commitment to delivering affordable housing by amending the definition and reforming the viability test. The Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) and the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) have made the call ahead of the publication next week of the updated National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). New research from the TCPA and APSE found 60% of councils said the viability test had ‘hindered’ their ability to secure affordable housing in their local areas. Read more on the Local Gov website.

https://www.localgov.co.uk/Whitehall-must-reform-viability-tests-campaigners-say/44833

Government To Tweak Planning Laws To Solve Housing Crisis

The Government is to outline a series of tweaks to planning laws it says will help solve the housing shortage. Ministers want to require councils to come with a local plan to meet housing demand in an area, give them more powers to speed up developments, and require developers to use land more efficiently. Crucially, the Government’s long awaited housing white paper includes measures that would effectively scrap the Coalition 2010 housebuilding planning framework and return to a system that bears stronger similarities to the one they inherited from Labour in 2010.  Read more on the Independent website.

Labour Lays Out Proposals for Solving Housing Backlog

Local councils will be judged not just by the amount of land they make available for development, but also by how much of that land is built on, the chair of the Labour review into the future of housebuilding told the Local Government Association conference. Sir Michael Lyons has been given the task of drawing up a plan for ensuring 200,000 homes a year are built by 2020. Speaking to the LGA in Bournemouth, he said a Labour government would not be abandoning the current national planning policy framework that requires councils to make land available, and if anything it would be turning the screw on councils. He said: "We are breaking eggs to make omelettes. The backlog is so serious here that we have to do everything we can." His remarks suggest the National Planning Inspectorate will, if anything, have a bigger role in ensuring houses get built. Read more on the Guardian website.