Downing Street has pushed back the publication of the government’s landmark housing white paper, Property Week understands.
Communities secretary Sajid Javid told MPs in November that the document, which was initially supposed to be published before the end of last year, was “due to be published in January”.
The government had earmarked January 30th for the release, but multiple sources told Property Week that the document will now be published next month instead. One source said Theresa May’s team believed it needed “a few weeks more work”.
“It was delivered to No 10 [Downing Street] this week and they view it as not ready for publication and needing a few weeks more work,” the source said.
“It’s seriously bad going from the DCLG [Department for Communities and Local Government] to get to this position so late in the day.”
The document is set to lay out the government’s housing strategy for the foreseeable future, and is expected to contain punitive measures for developers aimed at speeding up delivery.
It will also encourage local authorities to deliver more detailed plans for housing in their area and speed up the local planning process.
DCLG said the document will be published “shortly”.
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