Senior Tories back Labour push to ‘bulldoze’ opposition to housebuilding

Ex-Tory housing minister calls for 442,000 homes a year, while Liz Truss prepares to set out her own plans to cut red tape

Senior Tories have backed Sir Keir Starmer’s push to “bulldoze” local opposition to housebuilding and urged Rishi Sunak to end barriers to development.

Sir Brandon Lewis – the former Tory housing minister and ex-party chairman – has endorsed proposals by the right-wing Policy Exchange think tank to ease planning restrictions and build 442,000 homes a year.

Former PM Liz Truss, meanwhile, will set out plans to cut environmental protections, in order to build 500,000 homes a year as part of her “alternative Budget”.

Sir Keir used the Labour conference to promise 300,000 homes a year in the first term of a Labour government, as well as launching a series of new towns.

The Labour leader said he would “bulldoze” local opposition by centralising planning decisions and would stand up to his own party if they side with so-called nimbys – those who say “not in my back yard”.

Policy Exchange has called for a right for developers to build in urban areas – granting planning permission in principle to housebuilders looking to increase the density of existing sites.

The think tank’s report also recommended that local authorities without a local plan would have to be expected to be pro-development, for local referendums to be arranged on the development of new infrastructure, and for the government to give up public land for development.

They said the planning system had become the “principal obstacle” to housebuilding, arguing that there remained “too many veto opportunities” in the process.

The Policy Exchange report also said EU regulations covering river pollution should be scrapped, arguing that they were blocking the construction of 100,000 homes.

Sunak under pressure to take on Starmer on housebuilding (AFP/Getty, EPA)

Mr Lewis, a Tory housing minister under David Cameron, said the plan would “expedite the delivery of badly needed housing and infrastructure in a material way”.

The former Conservative chairman added: “Adopting it would get the government back on the front foot when it comes to perhaps the most significant public policy challenge facing our country today.”

Ms Truss, who has called for 500,000 homes a year, will set out more ideas on unblocking the system in her alternative “growth Budget”, the week before chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivers his autumn statement on 22 November.

Under Labour’s plans, companies will get new powers to buy land at lower prices, without having to factor in the current increase in the value to get potential planning permission.

Sir Keir has promised new towns developed by state-backed companies with compulsory purchase powers – recalling the Attlee government’s new town plans after the Second World War, which led to Stevenage, Crawley, Basildon and Milton Keynes, among others.

Housing developers are also set to be given “planning passports” so they can build more quickly on brownfield land with a “stronger presumption in favour of permission”.

Sir Keir said he was willing to have a “fight” with countryside campaigners, as he also committed to building on some “grey belt” green belt areas – saying areas that are scrubland and car parks would be released.

Senior Tory MP Sir Simon Clarke, the housing secretary under Ms Truss, has backed Sir Keir’s call to build on greenbelt land. “My party needs to respond to this challenge,” he tweeted. Lord Frost, the former Brexit minister, said he “very much agreed”.

Mr Clarke also backed Policy Exchange’s proposal to cut red tape and make regulators pull two regulations for every one added.

“UK businesses from the smallest to the largest are constantly telling policymakers that energy costs and the burden of regulation is inhibiting their ability to grow,” he said.