Our Associate Planner Alexandra Egge reflects on one week of a new government.
As we finally recover from our election all-nighters, MPs are settling into their new offices, speeches have been made, photo-ops abounding and international trips are afoot. When it comes to Planning, however, we’re forced to ask: “Is this something new…or déjà vu?”
As the planning promises in Labour’s election manifesto have come into greater focus following Rachel Reeves’s speech on Monday, I can’t help but wonder if I’m in the film Groundhog Day. Isn’t all of this a bit familiar? A new NPPF (again), bringing back housing targets and green belt reviews (didn’t we just do away with those?), prioritising brownfield development (the newly minted ‘grey belt’), and delivering a series of New Towns (aren’t we still working on Garden Communities?). It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking we’ve heard this all before.
However, cynicism undermines progress and the change in tone and urgency of these announcements compared to the outgoing government is undeniable. We’ve seen voices from across the industry buoyed by a wave of optimism and energy as we gear up to get building.
There is clearly a moment here to be seized and an opportunity to ensure that we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past. While some of the headlines may feel familiar, a change in the political pressure (and funding) put behind them will make the difference. Undoing the December 2023 changes to the NPPF alone won’t be enough to deliver the change that’s needed, but it’s a clear statement of intent and one that can be implemented at pace.
The funding for 300 new planning officers is something which is sorely needed and will be fundamental in delivering the strategic aims of planning reform.
The renewed focus on affordable and social housing is paramount, yet solving the riddle of delivery will remain a challenge which is unlikely to be solved by planning reform alone.
Planning is rightly central to the new government’s economic growth agenda (as recently demonstrated by the RTPI and Public First), bringing the system out of the shadows and into the political spotlight.
Over the coming weeks we’re due to get more detail of a new housebuilding programme, a series of potential New Towns and another revised NPPF, bringing this chapter of Planning into greater focus. While only time will tell if we’re facing revolution or evolution, it’s clear that the tides of Planning are turning and, in the words of our new Prime Minister, change begins now.