Watford housebuilding target set to be cut by government

Housing Secretary Angela Rayner will make local housing targets mandatory again, as she unveiled an overhaul of England's planning rules to help deliver Labour's promise of 1.5m new homes by 2029.

The proposed target for Watford has been set at 800 new homes annually – down from the current target of 850, according to Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government figures.

However, across England, councils will now have to plan for around 370,000 homes annually, instead of the previous 305,000.

Angela Rayner (Image: Radar)

Ms Rayner said: "Our decisive reforms to the planning system correct the errors of the past and set us on our way to tackling the housing crisis, delivering 1.5 million homes for those who really need them.

"And something I am personally proud of, our new flexibilities for councils will boost the number of social and affordable homes, and give working families a better route to a secure home."

Across the East of England, the target has shifted from 35,101 new homes a year to 44,858. Meanwhile, London was the only region to see its target cut, falling from 98,820 to 80,690.

Sam Richards, chief executive of pro-growth campaign group Britain Remade, said the revised National Planning Policy Framework contains "a number of necessary changes", but added it is a "mistake" to cut London's target.

He added: "London has Britain’s most acute housing shortage, and cities across the world show that 100,000 homes per year can be done."

The reforms also make explicit that the default answer to brownfield development should be "yes" and promote housebuilding at greater densities in urban centres, like towns and cities.

However, because there is not enough brownfield land in the country to meet housing needs, the government will allow the targeted release of so-called 'grey belt' land, which includes disused petrol stations and car parks on parts of protected land known as the green belt.

Any green belt land released will be subject to "golden rules" to ensure the development delivers 50 per cent affordable homes with a focus on social rent, and has access to green spaces and infrastructure such as schools and GP surgeries.

The method for local authorities to calculate how much land they must allocate for new housing, which relied on data from 2014, will be updated to ensure stock is boosted in every part of the country.

Ms Rayner said: "Rather than relying on outdated data, this new method will require local authorities to plan for homes proportionate to the size of existing communities, and it will incorporate an uplift where house prices are most out of step with local incomes."

Victoria Hills, chief executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute, said the proposed changes "have the potential to rebuild trust in our planning system".

She added: "It is particularly encouraging to see the government placing a much-needed emphasis on strategic planning, which can help deliver more coherent – not piecemeal – urban expansions by integrating new housing with transportation, energy, and public services."