Labour leader reiterates commitment to be the “party of home ownership”
Sir Kier Starmer has revealed that a Labour government would allow more homes on the green belt, as he unveiled a series of plans to unlock more housing.
Following a pledge earlier this month to reinstate housebuilding targets, the Labour leader stated in an interview with The Times that his party would give more power to councils and local residents to develop on green belt land.
In a promise to support “builders not blockers”, Starmer pledged to fix a “broken system” and repurpose Homes England as part of its bid to get more homes built.
A draft policy platform which could form the 2024 Labour manifesto pledges to “fix the country’s development model” and “seek to repurpose and reform Homes England to better meet our emerging priorities”, such as a 70% home ownership target and giving first-time buyers “first dibs” on new developments in their area.
Meanwhile, Homes England has published its five-year Strategic Plan, with the government quango stating that it intends to work in a more “place-based way” and more closely with local leaders.
The Strategic Plan forms part of Homes England’s “revitalised mission”, which consists of five objectives, including supporting the creation of vibrant and successful places, and intervening “where necessary” to ensure places have enough homes of the right type and tenure.
Over the next five years, we will continue to work with housebuilders of all shapes and sizes to boost housing supply.
Peter Freeman, Chair, Homes England
But we will also focus on the places those homes sit in, working ever more closely with local leaders and other partners to build communities as well as housing, be it through housing-led, mixed-use regeneration or new settlements.
Housing Secretary Michael Gove has continued on the warpath this week, threatening nine council planning departments with special measures after they failed to decide enough planning applications in time.
Sending letters to council Chief Executives, Gove criticised a failure to meet the government’s target of deciding over 70% of planning applications on time.
Applicants can send planning applications directly to the Planning Inspectorate in local authority areas under special measures.
Gove has given each authority until June 2023 to “demonstrate improved performance”.
This all comes in the same week that a survey of 1,885 people under the age of 35 revealed that more than 64% would be more likely to vote in local elections if a party pledges to make homes more affordable for young people.
The poll, commissioned by the Land Promoters and Developers Federation, also revealed that 48% thought that the Labour Party would be the best at delivering housing policy. Only 14% favoured the Conservative Party.
More than 80% of those polled agreed that housing supply needed to be increased to improve its affordability.
Brick manufacturer closes factory as demand falls
A trading update from building product manufacturer Forterra has revealed that brick sales fell by 32% in the first quarter of this year when compared to 2022.
However, the firm’s expectations for the year remain unchanged.
As it geared up to celebrate the opening of its new Desford brick factory – which will increase production capacity from 80 million bricks per year to 180 million – Forterra also reported that it intends to mothball its Howley Park brick factory as part of measures taken to reduce overheads by around £10m per year.
Vistry revises profit expectations upward, as Taylor Wimpey unveil zero carbon ready homes
Housing developer Vistry has increased pre-tax profit expectations for 2023, revealing in a statement this week that it expects figures in excess of £450m, up from £440m quoted in March.
In a trading statement for the calendar year to date, the housebuilder and partnerships business stated that it traded “in line with expectations”, with overall average weekly private sales rate per site at 0.83 for the year, compared to 0.54 during the first eleven weeks of 2023.
Meanwhile, Taylor Wimpey has launched its zero carbon ready homes trial of five prototype properties on its development in Sudbury.
The trial seeks to demonstrate how the industry can deliver properties to the Future Homes Standard, set to be implemented in 2025.
The homes, which feature air source heat pumps, electric panel heating, smart cylinders and MVHR, are designed to be sold and inhabited.
Housing View 