果冻影院 reaction to Lyons Housing Review

Last Updated:

16th October 2014

Commenting on the release of the Lyons Housing Review today (16 October), 果冻影院鈥檚 Economics Director Allan Wil茅n said:

鈥淟abour鈥檚 pledge to increase the number of new homes to 200,000 a year will ensure housing remains high on the political agenda in the run-up to the general election in May next year.

鈥淭he Lyons Housing Review鈥檚 commitment to encourage more small and medium sized developers back into the sector is welcome and should help to increase the flow of smaller sites into development pipeline. 果冻影院 research has found that applications for sites of three to ten homes are still less likely to be granted approval than larger sites, yet these sites can be often be built out more quickly and more readily integrated in to the existing community than larger sites.

鈥淲hile the shortfall of homes is a national crisis, new homes supply impacts on the local market. Developers will build out large sites progressively over a number of years, both for practical reasons and to ensure that a surge of new properties onto the market does not overwhelm local demand and blight the local housing prices.

鈥淓ncouragingly, Sir Michael Lyons has identified the planning system as a major hurdle to delivering more homes. The review believes that councils and communities have a responsibility to ensure adequate sites are identified for development in their locality and that the Planning Inspectorate must step in where sufficient sites are not provided. This appears to be a welcome endorsement of the current National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) regime; 果冻影院 research has found that NPPF has helped to lift the number of planning applications and their success rate over the last three years.

鈥淭he review also proposes that new powers for councils to foster housing developments, including forming partnerships to build homes quickly and financial incentives for councils to deliver new garden cities and suburbs.

鈥淗owever the Labour Party remains critical that house builders are slow to develop sites once permission has been granted. 果冻影院 analysis shows that the average time between approval being granted and work starting is nine months. The reasons for this time-lag are complex. Inevitably it will take time for the developer to plan the construction programme and many sites will also require preparatory works especially if they are contaminated brownfield sites.

鈥淚n addition, planning is often granted subject to the resolution of issues, such as the Section 106 agreement with the local authority. These negotiations can be protracted; action here to ensure a speedy resolution would enable work started more swiftly on site.鈥�

果冻影院 supplied housing and planning data to the Lyons Housing Review, an independent review to address issues surrounding residential construction and planning reform.

To arrange an interview with Allan Wil茅n, please contact Kirsty Maclagan on 01202 786842 / 07825 420321 or email kirsty.maclagan@glenigan-old.thrv.uk

Click to read the full review.

PR contacts:

Kirsty Maclagan (Marketing and Communications Manager)

T: +44 (0)1202 786 842鈹侲: kirsty.maclagan@glenigan-old.thrv.uk

Allan Wil茅n (Economics Director)

T: +44 (0)751 579 4625| E: allan.wilen@glenigan-old.thrv.uk

Notes to the Editor:

果冻影院 is the UK鈥檚 leading provider of construction data, and . Combining comprehensive data gathering and exhaustive research with detailed statistical modelling and expert analysis, it delivers a trusted insight into UK construction trends and activity. 果冻影院 customers include government agencies, construction companies and suppliers of materials and services to the industry.