In the first State Opening of Parliament under this government, The King’s Speech unveiled over 35 bills and draft bills which will support delivery of the government’s first steps and missions to rebuild Britain.
The package of bills will focus on growing the economy through better transport, more jobs and turbocharging building of houses and infrastructure – helping to make every part of the country better off.
RIBA President Muyiwa Oki said: “The Government has set out an ambitious parliamentary agenda – now, we need action.
“Delivering high-quality, sustainable buildings and places will be at the heart of growing the economy. So, commitments to overhaul the planning system and strengthen the capacity of local planning authorities through the proposed Planning and Infrastructure Bill are welcome.
“Plans for Great British Energy to cut bills and tackle the rising cost of living are also encouraging, but they must be accompanied by measures to reduce energy use in our homes, through a National Retrofit Strategy.
“We look forward to working with the Government to help deliver on these pledges – harnessing the knowledge, expertise, and experience of architects to create a better future for all.”
Gillian Charlesworth, Chief Executive Officer of the Building Research Establishment (BRE), said planning reform is not just necessary, but essential, if Labour is to deliver on its commitment to build 1.5 million new homes over the next five years as well the clean power system the country needs to reach net zero.
"Urging caution is also necessary: planning reform alone will not act as a magic remedy for all Britain’s building problems,” she continued. “We need better buildings as well as more buildings. We need to tackle the backlog of unhealthy existing homes and newly constructed properties unlocked by planning reform need to be fully sustainable and climate resilient.
“Empowering local and regional authorities is key. The English Devolution Bill, in conjunction with the Planning and Infrastructure Bill presents a great opportunity to unlock higher building standards while harnessing local economic growth.
“The King’s Speech underlines the scale of the challenge facing the new government. However, the announcement of 40 bills and draft legislation, nearly double that of the King’s speech in November 2023, shows a confident and ambitious new Government who understands what it will take to face down and overcome the challenges of today and the future. We support the ambition set out today and look forward to contributing to its future success.”
Smith Mordak, Chief Executive Officer at the UK Green Building Council, described the speech as a “seismic shift” towards renewing the places we live, work and play – putting living standards and climate and nature centre stage after years of damaging drift.
“Labour now needs to head-off a national bun-fight over green belts and new developments,” added the CEO> “A neat solution already has momentum – legally wedding the planning system to both the Climate Change and Environmental Acts, so every planning decision pulls in the right direction. This is backed, not just by the green NGOs, but much of the building industry, big banks and the House of Lords. Labour voted to link to the Climate Change Act in opposition, bringing it into law now could be the master stroke they need.”
Anna Clarke, Director of Policy & Public Affairs at The Housing Forum said the proposals in the King's Speech will doubtless improve the delivery of the homes we sorely need: “Planning authorities need resourcing and support to function more effectively, and approvals for major projects need streamlining to deliver key infrastructure. It is encouraging to see these being proposed by the new Government.
“More details are needed and additional support, particularly to local planning authorities. Reforming CPO rules is a helpful start but a robust legal framework is needed to give councils confidence in using them. Likewise, recruiting more planning officers is a useful start, but does not address wider recruitment and retention issues in this area.
“The housing sector has frequently asked for housing delivery to be a day one priority for the next Government, and it is a relief to see this in action. We now need to see more engagement with the sector about how to implement these plans, particularly ahead of the spending review and Autumn Statement, to ensure that funding is set aside to deliver quality homes of all tenures.”
