Angela Rayner has announced the New Homes Accelerator team in an attempt to kickstart stalled construction sites
Angela Rayner has announced a new team, known as the New Homes Accelerator team, with the intent of pushing through projects that are stalled in the planning pipeline.
Rayner says the team will be comprised of 15 “experienced” individuals recruited from the Ministry of Housing and Homes England.
The New Homes Accelerator team will get projects going
The New Homes Accelerator team will work with local councils, government agencies, local planning departments, and housebuilders, to get housing schemes moving again, particularly those that are “delayed by planning and red tape.”
The Government’s early analysis estimate that there are 200 large sites across England, representing 300,000 potential new homes.
The interventions that the team make can include providing resources, and support planning to ensure decisions are made in a timely manner.
Some of the sites named for work include Stretton Hall in Leicestershire, Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community in Essex, and Biggleswade Garden Community in Central Bedfordshire, together representing around 10,000 potential new homes.
The team will help to get Britain building again
Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner said: “For far too long the delivery of tens of thousands of new homes has been held back by a failure to make sure the development system is working as it should.
“This government has a moral obligation to do everything within our power to build the homes that people desperately need and we won’t hesitate to intervene where we need to.
“Our New Homes Accelerator will quickly identify blockages, fix problems and support local authorities and developers to get shovels in the ground.”
A “pragmatic approach” is needed
David O’Leary, executive director of the Home Builders Federation said: “The planning process and everything associated with it delivers too little land and has long been a significant constraint on house building. Government has shown a welcome desire in the weeks since the election to address the problems. A lack of planning department capacity and misaligned incentives for other public bodies and statutory consultees has created a process with huge uncertainty. This creates an abundance of risk resulting in longer development timescales and severe challenges in particular for small and medium-sized house builders.
“Adopting a pragmatic approach to planning will increase the pace at which new homes are built and help to turn around ailing housing supply. Unlocking homes and delivering new communities will boost growth and support job creation while providing young people with access to new, more affordable housing. The housing market is complex and we look forward to working with government to ensure that all aspects of the housing market are functioning more effectively.”
Developers are urged to start working with the accelerator
Jonathan Seager, policy delivery director at BusinessLDN, said: “This announcement builds on other encouraging housing interventions from the Government in recent weeks. We urge all those seeking to develop stalled sites across the capital to apply for support through the accelerator swiftly. It’s important that this initiative aligns with existing efforts from the Greater London Authority to speed-up housing delivery across the capital.”
