Latest news with #planningreform
Telegraph
24-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Rayner gives councils more power to seize land from housebuilders
Angela Rayner will give councils powers to seize land from housebuilders who fail to complete developments on time. For the first time, developers will have to commit to delivery timeframes before they get planning permission. They will also have to submit annual reports to councils showing their progress. Housebuilders who secure planning permissions 'simply to trade land speculatively' could face penalties worth thousands per unbuilt home, the Government said. The Government hopes the proposals will see promised new homes delivered faster. Ms Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary, said: 'This Government has taken radical steps to overhaul the planning system to get Britain building again after years of inaction. 'In the name of delivering security for working people, we are backing the builders not the blockers. Now it's time for developers to roll up their sleeves and play their part. 'We're going even further to get the homes we need. No more sites with planning permission gathering dust for decades while a generation struggle to get on the housing ladder.' Ms Rayner unveiled the reforms following a week in which speculation ran rampant that she is positioning herself for a run at the Labour leadership. A leaked memo from Ms Rayner to the Chancellor, in which she proposed a series of tax rises, was seen as a challenge by the Left to Sir Keir Starmer. Reports also emerged that Ms Rayner has been involved in heated discussions with No 10 about planned cuts to her budget. Rumours had circulated around Westminster that Sir Kier was preparing to strip her of her housing brief and effectively demote her in a Cabinet reshuffle. Kevin Hollinrake, the shadow housing secretary, said: 'We need more houses for people in Britain and we support measures to ensure developers speed up housebuilding. 'But they are adding so many burdens on builders, their targets already seem like a distant memory. And as Rayner has admitted live on air, many of these houses will end up going to migrants.' The senior Conservative added: 'With Labour's open-door border policy, this problem is only going to get worse, not better. And many hard-working Brits will be shut out of the housing market forever. 'In the same week that Angela Rayner has been caught red-handed plotting to raise everyone's taxes, it's clear she doesn't have the interests of working people at heart.' On Sunday, the Government is publishing a Planning Reform Working Paper setting out the proposals. Large housing sites can take more than 10 years to build, but those with more affordable homes can be built twice as fast, the Government said. 'Developers drag their heels' Housing charity Shelter welcomed the plans. Alicia Walker, its assistant director of advocacy and activism, said: 'It's good to see the Government getting tougher on private developers. With 1.3 million households waiting for a social home and homelessness continuing to climb, we urgently need new homes built at speed. 'Developers drag their heels when building new homes to keep prices high and make bigger profits – often dodging their responsibility to build social housing altogether. 'Meanwhile, thousands of families who are bearing the brunt of the housing emergency, homeless in temporary accommodation or crushed by skyrocketing rents, cannot afford to wait. 'Getting private developers to build new homes faster is crucial, but the only way to end the housing emergency for good is to get councils and housing associations building social housing as well. 'To do this, the Government must invest in building 90,000 social rent homes a year for 10 years in the upcoming Spending Review.'
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Planning reforms break Labour's promise to protect nature, green groups say
The Government's planning reforms break its manifesto promises to protect and restore the nation's natural environment, green groups have claimed. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill going through Parliament overrides existing habitat and nature protections, which the Government considers to be a barrier to housebuilding and economic growth. The draft legislation, if passed, would instead allow developers to make general environmental improvements and pay into a nature restoration fund that improves habitats on other sites. But the Office for Environmental Protection watchdog recently warned that the Bill represents a 'regression' in environmental law and would remove safeguards for nature. The Government's own assessment of the Bill also found little evidence green protections are a blocker to development. The Wildlife Trusts and the RSPB are now warning that irreplaceable habitats such as chalk streams and ancient woodland, species such as hazel dormice and otters, and areas such as the New Forest and Peak District Moors will no longer be as strongly protected from development. The groups said they have been calling for a series of amendments to tone down what they see as the most damaging aspects of the Bill but that the Government has failed to listen to their concerns or consider their 'constructive solutions'. Now they want to see ministers remove part of the nature recovery section entirely, which they say replaces environmental protections with a weaker substitute. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill was introduced in March and comes as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves argue that current nature rules have gone too far, often citing the £100 million HS2 bat tunnel. Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, said: 'Before the general election, Labour promised to restore nature. 'Under a year later, the Chancellor is leading an ideological charge against the natural world despite it being the very foundation of the economy, society and people's health. 'Promises have been broken, and millions of people have been betrayed.' Mr Bennett said the Bill in its current form 'fundamentally undermines' the Government's commitment to protect nature, describing proposals on nature recovery as a 'Trojan horse' and a 'misnomer'. He also said the organisation is 'appalled' that the suggestions it has put forward to ministers have 'all been spurned'. The organisations also published research on Thursday arguing that nature does not block economic growth. It found that bats and great crested newts – protected species often cited in arguments for removing planning barriers – are a factor in just 3% of planning appeal decisions. Alongside the paper, a Savanta survey commissioned by the Wildlife Trusts suggests less than a third (32%) of the British public feel the Government has kept its promises to improve access to nature, promote biodiversity and protect wildlife. The poll also found just 26% of the 2,035 respondents believe the Government is taking the nature crisis seriously enough while just 25% said they would back building developments in their area even if they harmed the local environment. Beccy Speight, RSPB chief executive, said the organisation engaged 'in good faith' with the Government for months but that the current draft legislation will 'rip the heart out of environmental protections and risks sending nature further into freefall'. 'The fate of our most important places for nature and the laws that protect them are all in the firing line,' she said. 'That cannot be allowed to stand. 'The evidence clearly shows nature isn't a blocker to growth. 'The Government has identified the wrong obstacle to the problem it's trying to overcome, and that has led it to the wrong solutions.' A Government spokesperson said: 'We completely reject these claims. The government has inherited a failing system that has delayed new homes and infrastructure while doing nothing for nature's recovery, and we are determined to fix this through our Plan for Change. 'That's why our Planning and Infrastructure Bill will deliver a win-win for the economy and nature by unblocking building and economic growth, and delivering meaningful environmental improvements.'
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Planning reforms break Labour's promise to protect nature, green groups say
The Government's planning reforms break its manifesto promises to protect and restore the nation's natural environment, green groups have claimed. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill going through Parliament overrides existing habitat and nature protections, which the Government considers to be a barrier to housebuilding and economic growth. The draft legislation, if passed, would instead allow developers to make general environmental improvements and pay into a nature restoration fund that improves habitats on other sites. But the Office for Environmental Protection watchdog recently warned that the Bill represents a 'regression' in environmental law and would remove safeguards for nature. The Government's own assessment of the Bill also found little evidence green protections are a blocker to development. The Wildlife Trusts and the RSPB are now warning that irreplaceable habitats such as chalk streams and ancient woodland, species such as hazel dormice and otters, and areas such as the New Forest and Peak District Moors will no longer be as strongly protected from development. The groups said they have been calling for a series of amendments to tone down what they see as the most damaging aspects of the Bill but that the Government has failed to listen to their concerns or consider their 'constructive solutions'. Now they want to see ministers remove part of the nature recovery section entirely, which they say replaces environmental protections with a weaker substitute. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill was introduced in March and comes as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves argue that current nature rules have gone too far, often citing the £100 million HS2 bat tunnel. Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, said: 'Before the general election, Labour promised to restore nature. 'Under a year later, the Chancellor is leading an ideological charge against the natural world despite it being the very foundation of the economy, society and people's health. 'Promises have been broken, and millions of people have been betrayed.' Mr Bennett said the Bill in its current form 'fundamentally undermines' the Government's commitment to protect nature, describing proposals on nature recovery as a 'Trojan horse' and a 'misnomer'. He also said the organisation is 'appalled' that the suggestions it has put forward to ministers have 'all been spurned'. The organisations also published research on Thursday arguing that nature does not block economic growth. It found that bats and great crested newts – protected species often cited in arguments for removing planning barriers – are a factor in just 3% of planning appeal decisions. Alongside the paper, a Savanta survey commissioned by the Wildlife Trusts suggests less than a third (32%) of the British public feel the Government has kept its promises to improve access to nature, promote biodiversity and protect wildlife. The poll also found just 26% of the 2,035 respondents believe the Government is taking the nature crisis seriously enough while just 25% said they would back building developments in their area even if they harmed the local environment. Beccy Speight, RSPB chief executive, said the organisation engaged 'in good faith' with the Government for months but that the current draft legislation will 'rip the heart out of environmental protections and risks sending nature further into freefall'. 'The fate of our most important places for nature and the laws that protect them are all in the firing line,' she said. 'That cannot be allowed to stand. 'The evidence clearly shows nature isn't a blocker to growth. 'The Government has identified the wrong obstacle to the problem it's trying to overcome, and that has led it to the wrong solutions.' A Government spokesperson said: 'We completely reject these claims. The government has inherited a failing system that has delayed new homes and infrastructure while doing nothing for nature's recovery, and we are determined to fix this through our Plan for Change. 'That's why our Planning and Infrastructure Bill will deliver a win-win for the economy and nature by unblocking building and economic growth, and delivering meaningful environmental improvements.'
Telegraph
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Labour planning reforms ‘threaten New Forest'
Labour's planning reforms pose a threat to the New Forest, campaigners have warned. The Wildlife Trusts and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) accused the Government of being on an 'ideological' war footing against the nation's environmental spaces. They also claimed that the Planning and Infrastructure Bill going through Parliament, which overrides existing habitat and nature protections, breaks Labour's manifesto promises to protect and restore the natural environment. The Office for Environmental Protection recently warned that the Bill represents a 'regression' in environmental law and would remove safeguards for nature. The Government's own assessment of the Bill also found little evidence that green protections were a blocker to development. The Wildlife Trusts and the RSPB said irreplaceable habitats such as chalk streams and ancient woodland, species such as hazel dormice and otters, and areas such as the New Forest and Peak District Moors would no longer be as strongly protected from development. The groups said they had been calling for a series of amendments to tone down what they saw as the most damaging aspects of the Bill, but that the Government had failed to listen to their concerns or consider their 'constructive solutions'. Now they want to see ministers remove part of the nature recovery section entirely, which they say replaces environmental protections with a weaker substitute. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill was introduced in March and comes as Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, and Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, argue that current nature rules have gone too far, often citing the £100 million HS2 bat tunnel. Craig Bennett, the chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, said: 'Before the general election, Labour promised to restore nature. 'Under a year later, the Chancellor is leading an ideological charge against the natural world despite it being the very foundation of the economy, society and people's health. Promises have been broken, and millions of people have been betrayed.' Mr Bennett said the Bill in its current form 'fundamentally undermines' the Government's commitment to protect nature, describing proposals on nature recovery as a 'Trojan horse' and 'a misnomer'. He also said the organisation was 'appalled' that the suggestions it had put forward to ministers had 'all been spurned'. The organisations also published research on Thursday arguing that nature does not block economic growth. It found that bats and great crested newts, protected species often cited in arguments for removing planning barriers, were a factor in just 3 per cent of planning appeal decisions. Alongside the paper, a Savanta survey commissioned by The Wildlife Trusts suggests that less than a third (32 per cent) of the British public feel the Government has kept its promises to improve access to nature, promote biodiversity and protect wildlife. The poll also found just 26 per cent of the 2,035 respondents believe the Government is taking the nature crisis seriously enough, while just 25 per cent said they would back building developments in their area even if they harmed the local environment. 'In the firing line' Beccy Speight, the RSPB chief executive, said the organisation had engaged 'in good faith' with the Government for months, but that the current draft legislation would 'rip the heart out of environmental protections and risks sending nature further into freefall'. 'The fate of our most important places for nature and the laws that protect them are all in the firing line,' she said. 'That cannot be allowed to stand. 'The evidence clearly shows nature isn't a blocker to growth. The Government has identified the wrong obstacle to the problem it's trying to overcome, and that has led it to the wrong solutions.' A Government spokesman said: 'We completely reject these claims. The Government has inherited a failing system that has delayed new homes and infrastructure while doing nothing for nature's recovery, and we are determined to fix this through our Plan for Change. 'That's why our Planning and Infrastructure Bill will deliver a win-win for the economy and nature by unblocking building and economic growth, and delivering meaningful environmental improvements.'
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Britain's biggest pig farmer calls on Labour to fix broken planning system
UK food giant Cranswick has called for an overhaul of planning rules to ensure 'essential' projects can be built, after the business invested record amounts last year. Chairman Tim Smith, who has held senior roles at Tesco and one led the Food Standards Agency, warned planning delays put UK food security and resilience at risk. Cranswick, which analysts say is now Britain's biggest pig farmer, unveiled a record capital spend of £138million for the year to 29 March as the group expanded its operations in pork, poultry and other product areas. On Tuesday it also revealed the £32million acquisition of sausage maker Blakemans, following the £24million takeover of UK pig genetics producer JSR Genetics earlier this year. Cranswick chair Tim Smith said the 'complexity and inefficiency' of the UK planning system is 'one of the most significant barriers to unlocking the business' full potential'. The Yorkshire-based pork producer's expansion means it now has more than one million pigs on the ground at any one time. Smith added: 'Excessive bureaucracy conflicted with our objective to enhance UK food security and significantly delayed important projects. 'These projects are essential prerequisites to enhancing capacity, improving food resilience, and meeting rising consumer demand. 'A more streamlined and responsive planning framework is, therefore, essential to unlocking capital investment, supporting job creation, and growing regional economies.' It came as Cranswick achieved its strongest ever annual revenue result at more than £2.7billion, rising 4.8 per cent as strong demand from Chinese markets supercharged pork sales. Cranswick reported an adjusted profit before tax of £198million, beating analysts' forecasts of around £192million. Volume growth of 7.7 per cent was driven by the group's premium product range and a record Christmas trading period. Fresh Pork export revenues rocketed 10.2 per cent, thanks to the reinstatement of its Norfolk site China licence after a four-year hiatus. 'A full range of products started being shipped to China from early January and contributed to a strong year-on-year increase in Far Eastern export revenues,' Cranswick said. This helped contribute to a 48 basis point increase in adjusted operating margin to 7.6 per cent, which Cranswick said also reflected a 'strong contribution from growing agricultural operations, excellent capacity utilisation and tight cost control'. Cranswick proposed to raise its final dividend by nearly 13 per cent to 76p per share. Cranswick shares were up 2.7 per cent to 5,400p in early trading, despite suffering a sharp fall after a pig cruelty scandal was revealed by the Mail on Sunday earlier this month. Analysts at Shore Capital said Cranswick's 'outstanding' trading statement confirmed 'a high-quality year from a top-quality business'. They added: 'We believe that it is much more rewarding for all stakeholders when such a business operates within a context of a clear, coherent, and functional policy framework. 'Alas, none of these labels can apply to the UK Government when it comes to the British agri-food sector at present, albeit to be fair to the Labour Party elected in 2024, it has only had 10 months to deal with the atrocious mess of the prior Conservative Party.
