HBF submits written evidence on Planning and Infrastructure Bill

The Home Builders Federation (HBF) has submitted written evidence on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to the House of Commons Public Bill Committee, outlining recommendations for amendments and industry concerns.

The Bill, which aims to make changes around planning and infrastructure rules as part of the government’s Plan for Change, will introduce new measures to support its ambitions. This includes:

• A national scheme of delegation setting out the types of applications determined by officers or committees
• A Nature Restoration Fund paid for by developers, to ensure builders can meet their environmental obligations faster
• New powers for Local Authorities to set local planning fees

While HBF largely supports these new measures, HBF has called on Members of Parliament to ensure that the measures in the Bill do not further disadvantage SME home builders and that the legislation helps bring about a positive impact on housing supply.

The proposed Nature Restoration Fund and Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs), have, according to the government, the potential to release many of the approximately 160,000 homes currently blocked by Natural England’s unnecessary ‘nutrient neutrality’ restrictions on home building.

After six years of political inaction, we welcome moves to put a solution in place, however, more detail is needed on how this will work in practice. HBF recommends that the government should ensure EDPs assist in nature recovery in a collective, reasonable and affordable way, and should be closely monitored. The occupants of new homes are a negligible contributor towards the high nutrient levels in our rivers and we believe that plans should identify a range of parties, including water companies, and farmers, by far the biggest contributors – to play their part in enhancing nature recovery.

HBF fully supports the government’s intention to increase the efficiency and consistency of the planning process through the introduction of a national scheme of delegation that would ensure that planning committees are deployed only for larger, more complex developments. Furthermore, HBF has proposed that the legislation should reflect a clear presumption that householder applications are only brought before the committee in exceptional circumstances. This would ensure that resources are directed where they are most needed, while reducing unnecessary delays for applicants.

HBF has long called for LPAs to be placed on self-sustaining financial footing, and we acknowledge efforts to implement a resolution through the Bill. However, HBF is urging the government to specifically reference the introduction of a national default fee alongside the launch of locally set fees. This would help to prevent large variations in fees between LPAs and provide more certainty for industry.

HBF has previously identified the local authority planning department capacity as a significant barrier to timely housing development, with recent research showing a shortfall of 2,200 local authority planning officers across England.  In light of the new fee setting powers being proposed by the Bill, the government should closely monitor LPAs to ensure there are tangible and measurable improvements to timescales.

HBF also supports measures in the Bill relating to the government’s approach to ensuring developments of new homes are sufficiently supplied with electricity, addressing growing concern over delays caused by limited grid capacity.

Other measures in the Bill, such as introducing a system of ‘strategic planning’ across England in the form of Spatial Development Strategies (SDS), require further clarity on plan period, allocations, and location and distribution of housing need if they are to be genuinely effective.

Additionally, there are important provisions missing from the current Bill. A provision should also be made to add clarity that the capacity of water infrastructure should be solely addressed through Water Management Development Plans.

Neil Jefferson, chief executive at HBF says: “The Planning and Infrastructure Bill presents a real opportunity to streamline the planning process and unblock the housing pipeline.

“HBF welcomes the government’s approach but firmly asserts that there is still a need for refinement, clarity and alterations to the Bill.

“If the government addresses the other barriers to increasing housing supply, in particular the inability of the market to support the purchase of private and affordable homes, and implements these reforms effectively, they have the potential to really accelerate housing supply.”

Read the full HBF Planning and Infrastructure Bill submission