We have all seen footballers scuffing the penalty spot before the opposition approach to take a penalty.
In late 2023, voting polls indicated Labour were destined to be elected in the imminent general election, which came in summer 2024. The Conservative Government had gone through several changes in the time since 2010, when the party first took office. Planning and development were rising as one of the key issues to be debated in the election and the Conservative Government had never hit the national target of 300,000 homes per year in the previous 13 years.
Enter: the December 2023 National Planning Policy Framework ('the NPPF'). The NPPF sets out the overarching planning policy in England, including how development should have a positive impact on an area's character, respect the historic and natural environment, and the goal to boost the supply of homes.
One of the key ways the Government have held local councils accountable is through the requirement for a five year supply of housing. If a Council did not have a sufficient supply of housing to meet the current and future needs of its communities, then the 'tilted balance' could be engaged. In planning applications, decision makers must give weight to the pros and cons of a development; for example - if an applicant wanted to build 10 homes on a farmland, the Local Planning Authority (LPA) would give positive weight to the delivery of homes but might give negative weight to the impact on the existing greenfield land. The pros and cons would be considered together to see if the benefits of a development outweighed any detrimental impacts and this would determine whether an application is approved or refused. The tilted balance is engaged in favour of a development for housing in an area where a council does not have a sufficient supply. In short - if there are not enough homes forecast to meet the needs of the people, more weight is given to the benefit of providing houses. This is still balanced with the other factors, but the tilted balance is a key factor in LPA areas where there is an insufficient housing supply.
The December 2023 update of the NPPF softened the mandates on councils housing supply requirements, including the introduction of the 'four year housing land supply'. There were many changes but the headline was that the Conservative Government were not giving the same benefits towards the delivery of housing as they had throughout the previous 13 years.
Planning is the first line of defence/attack (depending on how you look at it) in the drive towards delivering homes, infrastructure, and improving affordability. Previous research conducted by Viable Placemaking, including our Briefing Notes, has demonstrated the crucial role planning and housing delivery plays in improving the economy and affordability.
Research published by the Home Builders Federation [1, including quote below] demonstrated that the number of homes granted planning approval had continued to decrease in 2024, following the publication of the December 2023 NPPF.
"The number of units being approved also reached a record low. 53,379 units were approved during Q2 2024, the lowest quarterly figure since 2014."
Furthermore, data published by the BCIS [2] demonstrated that, in the period since the NPPF update, a decreased number of housing projects had commenced.
Clearly, the December 2023 update of the NPPF decreased the approval of new homes and, as a consequence, reduced the number of new homes being delivered throughout 2024. As a result, these changes stalled the new Labour Government's charge into revolutionising planning and development.
The new Labour Government made several updates which have the potential to have a great impact on planning and development in the coming years. These updates included reinstating housing targets and a consultation on a further revision of the NPPF, which would seek to promote housing development and reverse the housing land supply changes imposed by the Conservatives during the December 2023 NPPF update.
The Labour Government are expected to publish a new NPPF imminently and this will shape the way many developments are considered in the coming months. Viable Placemaking, alongside our fellow professionals, will be watching closely as we support our clients with developments around England in the wake of new national policy.
In the future, we must all work together to deliver the places people need. This includes both sides of the political debate, planning consultants and LPAs, and - perhaps most importantly - all planning professionals and our communities.
[1] HBF, Planning approvals for new homes plummet to decade low, September 2024
[2] BCIS, Latest UK housing starts and completions figure, November 2024
Viable Placemaking Insights, Opinion
This Opinion Insight was written by Adam Place MRTPI MIED FRSA. Opinion pieces are intended to be informative but may include the author's personal opinions and do not reflect the views of Viable Placemaking. For more information on our Opinion Insights or this subject matter, please feel free to get in touch.