Cooper sets out reforms for affordable family homes

Cooper set out in PPS3 (Policy Statement 3: Housing) reforms to the planning system to improve the delivery of homes by local authorities.

The plan is to tackle obstacles in the current planning system to ensure enough suitable sites are available to deliver the homes families and local people need.

The proposals include councils planning housing strategies 15 years ahead and identify suitable sites more quickly to prevent much-needed houses being held up by unnecessary delays in the planning system.

Also today the National Brownfield Strategy was published for consultation to ensure local councils bring forward more brownfield land for development.

Local authorities will need to make sure they are getting the mix of homes right and councils will be asked to ensure there are enough family homes.

Developments will have to take account of the need to cut carbon emissions and to move towards zero carbon development.

Higher standards for housing and planning will be set out next week in the Planning Policy Statement on Climate Change and the revised Code for Sustainable Homes.

Cooper said: ‘We need to build more and better quality homes for the next generation. If we don’t deliver more homes, we will see growing pressures on first time buyers, overcrowding and social housing waiting lists. But we also need higher quality homes and neighbourhoods too.’