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Manifestos for housing growth?

Conservatives

In ‘Forward, Together’, Theresa May clearly hopes she has the manifesto with something for everyone. In looking at planning and development, she seems to think that her predecessor had it broadly right, and there are no fundamental changes in direction proposed – the Housing White Paper earlier this year having implicitly ditched the Cameroon obsession with home ownership at any cost. There are warm sentiments about housing associations and social housing. New is the idea of fixed term social housing to be sold on the open market after 10-15 years, and support for multigenerational homes. While the white paper wanted to nudge developers to implement permissions, the manifesto talks of council powers to intervene. The idea of high-density housing is again endorsed.

Developers may look with more concern at a friendly-worded remark about working with them “to capture the increase in land value” from development. The government thinks that public sector landowners and local communities should “benefit from the increase in land value from urban regeneration and development”. Little is said about giving councils more control over development, although it seems major applications for fracking for shale gas are to be removed to the national planning regime. Other sections of the manifesto commit to combine the Land Registry, Ordnance Survey and others to create open land data and help “digitise the planning process”; the Conservatives also commit to publishing “far more information” about planning applications online.

Labour

Its title may recycle a Blairite mantra, but Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour manifesto “For the many not the few” could never be confused with the new Labour era. The party’s ‘National Transformation Fund’ which will borrow £250bn over ten years for capital spending, including new housing. At least 100,000 new social and affordable homes per year are promised, and a million homes in total, overseen by a new government department. Pledges to prioritise brownfield and protect the green belt are followed by mention of a new generation of New Towns.

Labour complains that developers profit takes precedence over community priorities in planning decisions, though the remedy proposed seems to be more money for council planning departments. They suggest planning rules will be strict on minimum space standards and on energy efficiency, and that plans will have to provide for homes for the elderly. There is a firm pledge for the ‘agent of change’ principle affecting development near entertainment venues (London Mayor Sadiq Khan also supports it). Inserted at the last minute and not in the earlier leaked draft is support for a land value tax – an old idea with many respectable supporters.

Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrat manifesto ‘Change Britain’s Future’ unusually makes a pitch for opposition, rather than government. Reminders of populist measures brought in by Liberal Democrat ministers in 2010-15 don’t overcome the impression of a party seeking once again to rouse protest votes.

Few of the details on planning and development have changed from the 2015 manifesto. The party still pledges to set a housebuilding target of 300,000 a year, including ten garden cities, and funded by a housing investment bank. They believe a community right of appeal against planning decisions can be made to work. New pledges include powers for councils to penalise “excessive land-banking”, and to enforce housebuilding on “unwanted public sector land”. One small pledge hidden in another section seeks to bring in planning rules to protect live music venues.

Reader Interactions

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What people say about us…

Smooth operation

Many thanks for last night: a very smooth operation!

Message was very welcome

Was a great result – especially to receive unanimous approval! Many thanks also for you and your team’s work in the run up to the committee. Getting those messages across really helped and was evident by the feedback given by members on both sides of the political spectrum … notably on the successfully engagement with residents and how the scheme responded accordingly. Message was very welcome!

On point

Harry was on point and has been the whole way through. We are all very chuffed. We are already preparing for another rather testing application on another site and you can be certain that we will engage you

Appreciated

Thanks Richard, your help has been much appreciated. Will let you know when the next job comes up!

Big guns!

Thanks for your and the team’s help. It was good to know we had the proverbial big guns in our armoury!

You kept calm

Many thanks for that: your team did very well, and kept a lot calmer than me! Matt was a sensible wise head, as was Alex, but he also made me think succinctly for the questions and how to answer, which is a great skill to try and acquire. Especially for someone as verbose as me!

A unanimous approval

Councillors praised both officers and the developer on their work and engagement.

A unanimous approval 5-0

With your help

Really pleased to hear the news this evening

With your help, we got it through !!!!

Best Regards!

Truly excellent example

Great news that we approved 60 houses on green belt last night.

It was tremendous that the Chair said that this was a “truly excellent example of good consultation…”

Gave me more confidence

Thank you – we were both somewhat surprised given the level of objections but in fact the committee hardly discussed the scheme at all before consenting it.

Thanks to your team for preparing me well for the committee which certainly gave me more confidence.

A big relief

Thank you. A big relief. As I am sure you can appreciate, we are delighted!

Your team did a great job, especially Matt who was integral.

I look forward to catching up soon.

Unanimous

196 flats approved unanimously, thanks to all involved.

Professional and effective

I wanted to thank you and all at Thorncliffe for managing the consultation process so professionally and effectively. This, without doubt, played a crucial role in gaining the approval.

Once again, all our thanks.

Was a good result

Cant remember the last time I got anything through unanimously!

Was a good result, it’s the right scheme for the site and of course we had a great team including yourselves working on it,

First class troops

Richard. Your troops did a first class job as always. Many thanks

Praise for communityUK

Well done for the way you presented tonight’s online consultation. I thought it was an excellent format.

Great result last night

I just wanted to say thank you again for all your help with the great result last night.

You have been tremendous and it is much appreciated.

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