Angela Rayner’s major changes to Britain’s planning rules have been slammed as a plan to « bulldoze through the concerns of local communities ».
The Deputy PM and Housing Secretary will today unveil big reforms to the country’s National Planning Policy Framework, which will demand that councils begin building on green belt land for the first time.
The Labour Party say the changes are necessary to meet their target of 1.5 million new homes over the course of this parliament and tackle the housing crisis.
However the plans have been labelled a « Whitehall diktat » by the Liberal Democrats, with local council groups blasting the ‘Government knows best’ approach.
Under Ms Rayner’s new plans, councils will be told they must pull their finger out and start meeting the Government’s higher house-building target of 370,000 a year.
In one of the most controversial changes to Britain’s planning rules for a generation, areas of the greenbelt will be reclassified as « grey belt » land, meaning those areas that are technically within the green belt but lack beauty will be opened up for development.
Announcing the plans, Ms Rayner insisted it is right for the government to be taking « bold and decisive action ».
She said: « We cannot shirk responsibility and leave over a million families on housing waiting lists and a generation locked out of home ownership. Our Plan for Change means overhauling planning to make the dream of a secure home a reality for working people.”
« Today’s landmark overhaul will sweep away last year’s damaging changes and shake-up a broken planning system which caves into the blockers and obstructs the builders.
« I will not hesitate to do what it takes to build 1.5 million new homes over five years and deliver the biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.
« We must all do our bit and we must all do more. We expect every local area to adopt a plan to meet their housing need. The question is where the homes and local services people expect are built, not whether they are built at all. »
However, the plan has already been torn apart by both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.
Kevin Hollinrake, the Tory Housing spokesman, accused Labour of hypocrisy after they cut London’s housebuilding target – despite being the most desperately in need area for new dwellings.
He also pointed out that before the General Election, Labour opposed repealing defective EU eco laws holding up tens of thousands of homes across the country.
Mr Hollinrake argued: « The Conservatives delivered over a million homes in the last Parliament, but it is vital that even more are built in the right places with the right infrastructure. »
« Labour will bulldoze through the concerns of local communities. If Labour really want homes to be built where they are needed, they must think again. »
The LibDems also hit out at the “Whitehall diktat”, accusing Ms Rayner of undermining trust in politics with her plan to ignore local communities.
Housing spokesman Gideon Amos said: « The new homes we need must be genuinely affordable and community led, not dictated from Whitehall diktat, with local amenities like GPs, schools and public transport built alongside new homes. »
Criticism has also been voiced by the Local Government Association, a body representing local councils who will bear the brunt of the stress as Labour attempts to hit its high target.
A spokesman warned: « For Councils to share the Government’s ambition to tackle local housing challenges, there must be a collaborative approach.
« It is councils and communities who know their local areas and are therefore best placed to make judgement decisions on how to manage competing demand for land use through the local plan-led system. »
« Getting housebuilding targets in the right place is a difficult task, so any national algorithms and formulas should be supplemented with local knowledge and involvement by councils and communities who know their areas best. »
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