The British Property Federation (BPF) has billed the Lyons Housing Review as “sensible and comprehensive”, and has urged all political parties to undertake similar reviews.
The review was commissioned by the Labour Party earlier in the year to identify what changes need to be made to housing and planning policy to ensure the delivery of the homes and communities of the future.
The BPF has praised the review for its thorough approach to scrutinising the planning process, in particular:
- The focus on enforcing and delivering local plans. These are fundamental to an area’s growth, and local authorities could face intervention from the Planning Inspectorate if they do not plan sufficiently;
- The requirement for local plans to include a private rented sector provision;
- The commitment to encouraging institutional investment in the housing sector through clearly agreed local partnerships and plans, and increased focus on delivery and funding from the Homes and Communities Agency, which will help boost the build-to-rent sector;
- Flexibility for large scale schemes, giving local authorities further powers to lift the pooling restriction on significant schemes, as well as continuing to allow them to exempt such schemes from CIL;
- The return of regional planning, which is a sensible compromise between a top-down approach and localised planning.
So called ‘use it or lose it’ proposals, which would reduce planning permissions from three to two years, and charge local authorities council tax on sites not developed within a certain time frame, did cause some concern. The reduction in planning permission time is particularly problematic in a downturn, as it could lead to a year-long hiatus in development once activity picks up. Large schemes, however, would be exempt from these proposals, which would be welcome.
Liz Peace, Chief Executive of the British Property Federation, said: “We were told that the Lyons Review would be meaty, and it has certainly proved to be so.
"The sensible review is extremely comprehensive and pinpoints exactly where problems in the planning system are and comes up with thoughtful solutions. While some proposals, for example those surrounding 'use it or lose it', may be difficult to implement, on the whole the review shows a clear understanding of the major problems of the planning system, and how these impact on development in the UK.
“It would be fantastic to see other political parties commit to such a thorough and all-encompassing review like this one."
