The UK’s housing crisis is well recognized, with speedily rising property prices and a severe lack of reasonable homes. Labour’s planning laws, within Labour’s new design planning system, will address this crisis with a series of changes to the planning system, making it simpler and greener, and ensuring housing is affordable.
Making the Planning Process Smoother
Labour has outlined its objectives for its planning laws, with a primary aim to streamline processes that, while justified in principle for notification and accountability, are cumbersome for local communities. Labor aims, amongst other things, to make it easier and quicker for new housing projects to be accepted and built by reducing bureaucratic red tape. One of the new laws aims to simplify the application process and shorten decision-making times in order for developers to get projects off the ground sooner.
Advocating Development Sustainably
The planning system put in place by Labour prioritizes sustainable development. The new laws promote energy-efficient housing and green construction materials. Labor is promising tougher environmental rules to make new developments more environmentally friendly. In addition to solving the housing shortage, this emphasis on sustainability supports larger goals of lowering carbon emissions and fighting climate change.
Ensuring Affordability and Accessibility
One of their main measures to address the crisis is that its planning laws also contain a mandatory phrase on an increase within affordable homes. It was written into the laws that a certain proportion of almost all new housing developments had to be offered as affordable housing. Labor also intends to introduce rent controls and assist first-time buyers. They hope to broaden home ownership and contain rental costs.
Revitalizing Urban and Rural Areas
Labor has called for these planning laws to be used also in rejuvenating the countryside as well as our cities. City land use regulations require that brownfield sites—vacant or underutilized, previously developed lands—be rebuilt. It is the former type of approach that will allow us to make better use of our existing infrastructure and take some of the pressure to build on greenbelt land.
Labour has pledged to introduce a new set of planning laws, referred to as Labour’s planning laws, that amount to the most detailed blueprint yet for tackling housing crisis. These laws will streamline the planning process, promote sustainability, affordability, and revitalization of urban and rural areas, including more public participation in the housing system, to help facilitate a much-needed change towards an efficient, fairer, and sustainable market.