The government's legislative plans for the year ahead have been unveiled in the Queen's Speech to Parliament.
It includes plans to support home ownership and extend the right-to-buy scheme to 1.3 million social housing tenants in England feature in a new Housing Bill. Under the plans, housing association tenants will be able to buy the homes they rent at a discount. There will also be help for first-time buyers, with 200,000 starter homes made available to under-40s at a 20% discount.
Both are commitments which were included in the Conservatives' general election manifesto. The government says the bill will increase the housing supply and ensure local people have more control over planning.
The Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill paves the way for powers over housing, transport, planning and policing to be devolved to England's cities as part of government plans for "a balanced economic recovery". Cities that want them will be able to have elected mayors. Chancellor George Osborne has said previously that Greater Manchester - which will take on the powers when electing a mayor in two years - should become a blueprint for other large cities.
The government is also pressing ahead with legislation that will eventually enable work to start on the £50bn HS2 high-speed rail link. Legislation which will give the government the legal powers to construct and operate the London to Birmingham first phase of HS2 is going through Parliament. If it progresses smoothly, it should receive Royal Assent around the end of 2016, with work beginning on the project in 2017, with a finishing date of 2026.
The Royal Institute of British Architects’ (RIBA) President, Stephen Hodder, has given the Institute's initial reaction to the Queen's Speech.
Of particular interest to the RIBA were: Housing Bill - including measures to increase the supply of Starter Homes and simplify the neighbourhood planning system; and the Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill - to give greater powers to councils and local communities
RIBA President Stephen Hodder said: "We welcome the Government’s commitment to housebuilding, but it is vital that the pressure to quickly alleviate the housing crisis doesn’t lead to sub-standard homes and communities. The RIBA supports the building of more low-cost homes on brownfield sites but high quality design and infrastructure are essential to create desirable homes that meet the needs of current and future generations.
"Whilst we are pleased to see the Government’s commitment to neighbourhood planning, we remain deeply concerned by the loss of expertise and capacity from local authority planning teams and are cautious that the pressure to speed up the process could put the design quality of developments at risk.
"Decentralising power from Central Government to English cities is essential to support a growing and balanced UK economy. We welcome the Government’s commitment to give cities the freedom to make big decisions on local transport, housing and skills. Cities must also be able to raise finance and retain income to invest in local priorities, including high quality housing and innovative infrastructure."
