Starmer says Labour to build 1.5 million new homes

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has promised a big drive with new initiatives to deliver 1.5 million new homes.

He told the party’s conference in Liverpool that a Labour Government would launch a major push to remove barriers to building.

It’s time to get Britain building again”.

“It’s time to get Britain building again, 1.5 million new homes across the country, and opportunities for first time buyers in every community,” he said.

“Home ownership has become a dream – it’s out of reach for millions,” he said.

Bulldoze

Starmer was speaking in what might be the last Labour conference before next year’s expected General Election.

He said planning obstacles to development must be swept aside: “We must bulldoze through it.”

Newly-created corporations would also “remove blockages” to building, he said.

New towns

Labour would create the next generation of New Towns, he said, as it did after the Second World War.

Briefing before the speech revealed that the corporations would have power to buy land at discount prices, without having to allow for the increase in the value with planning permission.

Rewrite

Labour would run a six-month consultation to identify areas with “unmet housing need” suitable for new development.

The party would also rewrite planning rules to set out national standards for five-storey Georgian-style townhouse blocks. Developers would then be more likely to be granted planning permission on brownfield sites if they follow the standards.