Jenrick’s planning reforms: the key changes at a glance

The housing secretary has announced a raft of new planning reforms to boost housebuilding. Lucie Heath explains the key policies

Planning reforms

Introduce new permitted development rights for building upwards on existing buildings by summer 2020
Consult on potential permitted development rights to allow vacant buildings to be demolished and replaced with new homes
New support for community and self-build housing schemes, including support finding plots of land
Support the Oxford-Cambridge arc by setting up a new spatial framework for the area, setting out where housing will be delivered up to 2050, and create four development corporations across the region

Housing Delivery Test

Review the formula for calculating local housing need to encourage more building in urban areas
Require all local authorities to have an up-to-date local plan by 2023 or government will intervene
Continue with plans to raise the Housing Delivery Test threshold to 75% in November 2020
Reform the New Homes Bonus to ensure local authorities that build more homes have access to greater funding

Planning departments

Implement new planning fee structure to better resource planning authorities and link funding to improved performance
Provide automatic rebates of fees when planning applications are successful at appeal
Expand the use of zoning tools to support development that is aimed at simplifying the process of granting planning permission for residential and commercial property
Make it clearer who owns land by requiring greater transparency on land options
Support local authorities to use compulsory purchase orders by introducing statutory timescales for decisions and ending the automatic right to public inquiry

Homeownership

Continue with the proposed First Homes scheme, which offers eligible first-time buyers new homes at prices discounted by a third
Form partnerships with developers and local authorities to be the frontrunners for delivering the first wave of new homes

Design

Revise National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to encourage good design and placemaking throughout the planning process
Respond to the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission and take forward recommendations calling for urban tree-planting and giving communities more influence over design
Implement a new National Design Code to allow residents of communities to have more influence over design. Allow local areas to produce their own design codes for new development.

Climate and sustainability

Review policy for building in areas at flood risk by assessing whether current NPPF protections are enough and whether further reform is needed
Introduce Future Homes Standard in 2025, which will require up to 80% lower carbon emissions for new homes
Create a new net zero carbon housing development in Toton in the East Midlands through a development corporation