Labour’s legislation to shake-up the planning system and deliver the 1.5 million homes it has optimistically promised to build before the next General Election entered parliament yesterday.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill promises to speed up the system of approval for newbuilds and, while allowing local residents to have their say, also ensure house builders don’t face ‘blockers’ including both local NIMBYs, council departments and councillors – including those worried about the reduction or damage to nature locally.

And while developers will face higher planning fees to help fund the nation’s under-resourced planning departments, in return planning committee decision making will be overhauled and ‘streamlined’ to make it clear who makes which decisions – officers or committees.

For example, the ‘reserve details’ of a housing estate’s window sizes will no longer have to be referred to local committees and instead will be decided by senior local planning officers.

Nevertheless, Labour has been accused of ‘reducing local democracy’ by severely weakening the ability of locals to resist new homes in their area, to which ministers say “these measures are to ensure the planning process is streamlined and more efficient, whilst retaining local democratic oversight”.

Housing secretary and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner (main image), adds: “We’re creating the biggest building boom in a generation – as a major step forward in getting Britain building again and unleashing economic growth in every corner of the country, by lifting the bureaucratic burden which has been holding back developments for too long.

“The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will unleash seismic reforms to help builders get shovels in the ground quicker to build more homes, and the vital infrastructure we need to improve transport links and make Britain a clean energy superpower to protect billpayers.”

Loosening Grey belt

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, housing minister Matthew Pennycook added that his efforts to build more homes had already seen significantly higher numbers of planning applications coming through in particular for ‘grey belt’ sites.

“The planning system isn’t the only problem even though it does slow things down,” he added, “and there are various other challenges stopping developments coming forward including site viability and construction costs so we are taking action on these fronts too”.

But will the reforms deliver what many estate agents would like to see – namely, more homes being built that they will be able to sell or rent both now and in the future? Here’s what the industry groups have said.

Nathan Emerson, CEO of Propertymark

“Propertymark welcomes the UK Government’s ongoing commitment to reform planning and infrastructure projects across the country and its ongoing focus on new housing to help ensure supply keeps pace with real world demand,” he says.

“The legislation must deliver an infrastructure-first approach towards building new homes ensuring there are improved transport links, adequate schools and medical centres, as well as focusing on building housing for an ageing population and homes that are net zero.

“The reforms must ensure a diverse mix of properties are delivered in the right areas at the right time and mean that local councils have the capacity and resources they need to deliver additional new homes.

“What’s key is that local knowledge is utilised effectively, and local democracy is fully considered and enhanced when it comes to planning decisions.”

Melanie Leech, Chief Executive of British Property Federation

“There’s a lot to welcome in the latest stage of the Government’s planning reforms,” she says.

“We called for strategic planning, easier brownfield development and a more certain local planning process in our planning manifesto ‘Building More, Building Better’ last year and it seems that Government have listened. Planning at the ‘larger-than-local’ level should mean that housing targets are allocated more sensibly, and that there’s better planning for employment uses.

“As part of that there should be a standard method for planning for jobs so that needs are assessed consistently around the country.

“However, it is vital that all of this is adequately resourced in the forthcoming Spending Review if it is to deliver transformational change in the planning system.”

Read the Bill in full.