Labour’s plans to build more than 1.5 million homes are doomed unless they persuade retired planning officers to return to their desks, Savills has warned.

Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has pledged to recruit 300 new officers, but Savills says thousands are needed.

Thousands required

David Jackson (main image) Head of Planning at Savills, said the Government should “absolutely” bring planning officers out of retirement

“You’d be talking about thousands of additional planners being required. And it’s not only just bringing people into the profession, it’s actually training them,” he told the Daily Telegraph.

Retired officers would need incentives to entice them out of retirement, he said.

What impact will it have? To be blunt, very limited or none whatsoever.”

Simon Coop, Planning Director at Lichfields consultancy, said 300 extra planning officers works out at less than one extra for each council in England.

“What impact will it have? To be blunt, very limited or none whatsoever,” he told the Telegraph.

“One wonders where that number even came from. It’s really not enough to address the problem.”

A Government spokesman said: “We are taking urgent action to deliver 1.5m [homes] – recruiting 300 extra planners is an important part, but only one element of our plan to get Britain building again.

“We are also providing a multi-million-pound package of additional support to councils to increase their skills and planning capacity, including more efficient digital tools, so they are ready to implement the extensive planning reforms we have set out.”