We were pleased to see data from our report ‘How Long is a Piece of String’ used in last night’s BBC Panorama episode, the ‘Race to Build 1.5 million Homes’.
The show uncovered the challenges to meet the Government’s housebuilding target by 2029, highlighting building costs, construction skills shortage, environmental legislation, out of date Local Plans, and local level decision making.
Data from our report, produced with Land, Planning and Development Federation and Lichfields UK, helped illustrate the dire state of the planning system and delays in planning approvals:
🔻It takes an average 2 years to get a decision on an outline planning application for 10 more homes – nearly three times longer than in 2014.
🔻Only 1 in 5 council planning teams are fully staffed.
While the government’s housing target is ambitious, we were encouraged by Housing Secretary Steve Reed’s pledge in the programme to “bulldoze through the barriers stopping people in the country to owning their own home”, with plans to enforce local housing targets and change planning rules.
Richborough has accelerated land promotion activity across the country to help make the housing targets a reality. This year alone we’re submitting planning applications to unlock nearly 15,000 market and affordable homes in places they are needed.
More planning reform is now rapidly needed to speed up the planning approval process to ensure housing can be delivered quickly, by housebuilders of all sizes.