Rishi Sunak has promised not to 'concrete over the countryside'
Rishi Sunak has promised not to ‘concrete over the countryside’ and says he will ensure the bulk of new homes are built in major cities
- Prime Minister Rishi Sunak claims he will provide 1million homes by 2025
- But he says the homes will be built in the heart of ‘cities’, not countryside
Rishi Sunak has promised not to ‘concrete over the countryside’ as he promised the bulk of Britain’s new homes will be built in major cities.
The Prime Minister, who insisted his government is on course to meet its target of building one million homes between 2019 and 2024, will earmark denser inner-city where demand is highest for any extra housing rather than pave over the greenbelt.
Separately, Housing Secretary Michael Gove will announce plans to slash red tape to pave the way for more conversions of shops and takeaways into houses in efforts to address the housing crisis.
Mr Sunak will today say: ‘Today I can confirm that we will meet our manifesto commitment to build 1 million homes over this Parliament. That’s a beautiful new home for a million individual families in every corner of our country.
‘We need to keep going because we want more people to realise the dream of owning their own home.
The Prime Minister (pictured) will earmark denser inner-city where demand is highest for any extra housing rather than pave over the greenbelt
‘We won’t do that by concreting over the countryside – our plan is to build the right homes where there is the most need and where there is local support, in the heart of Britain’s great cities.
‘Our reforms today will help make that a reality, by regenerating disused brownfield land, streamlining planning process and helping homeowners to renovate and extend their houses outwards and upwards.’
The proposals include developing a new urban quarter in Cambridge with space for homes, art facilities, laboratories and green areas.
In a bid to rectify Britain’s housing supply crisis, Mr Gove will also launch a review into the extension of permitted development rights to make it simpler to extend homes and convert lofts so buildings can be expanded upwards and outwards.
New development corporations to unleash a wave of new homes in cities such as Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool, he said, while councils will be able to use compulsory purchase orders to buy up land and sell parts of it on to developers to build new homes.
He said: ‘Rather than concreting over the countryside, we have set out a plan today to build the right homes in the right places where there is community support – and we’re putting the resources behind it to help make this vision a reality.’
The announcements come just two weeks after a cross-party panel of MPs warned that Tory ministers are unlikely to deliver 300,000 new homes per year after the Prime Minister made the target advisory rather than mandatory.
Clive Betts, who chairs the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee, said the decision was ‘already having a damaging impact on efforts to increase the building of new homes’.
Shadow Housing Secretary Lisa Nandy said: ‘It takes some serious brass neck for the Tories to make yet more promises when the housing crisis has gone from bad to worse on their watch, and when housebuilding is on course to hit its lowest rate since the Second World War because Rishi Sunak rolled over to his own MPs.
‘We don’t need more reviews, press releases or empty promises, we need bold action to get Britain building.
‘That’s why Labour has set out plans to reform the planning system to build the homes we need. We will restore housing targets, reform compulsory purchase rules and take the tough choices to back the builders, not the blockers.’
Last night the Local Government Association (LGA) flagged concerns about the prospect of loosening the rules around permitted development rights, arguing it can lead to substandard housing.