England: Housing applications around train stations to be given default approval

In a drive to speed up housebuilding, which will help connect people to towns and cities, and open the door to new job and education opportunities, housebuilders will be encouraged to build more homes near these transport links.

Under the measures, councils in England will also now be required to tell the government when they intend to reject new housing developments over a certain size, with the housing secretary able to have the final say on whether they should go ahead. 

These changes will be introduced alongside proposals to streamline the statutory consultee process. 

It also builds on work already underway following the launch of Platform4, a new property company set to unlock 40,000 homes on brownfield land near railway stations, with four sites already earmarked, including Newcastle Forth Goods Yard and Manchester Mayfield.

Housing secretary Steve Reed said: “I promised we’d get Britain building and that’s exactly what we are doing. But it has to be the right homes in the right places and nearby transport links are a vital part of that.

“We’re making it easier to build well-connected and high-quality homes, using stronger powers to speed things up if councils drag their feet, and proposing to streamline the consultation process to cut back delays.

“This is about action: spades in the ground, breathing new life into communities, and families finally getting the homes they need.”

Planning reforms to give greater certainty and strength for development around well-connected rail stations, including trains and trams, will be proposed through a new pro-growth and rules-based National Planning Policy Framework, which will be consulted on later this year.

The rules will extend to land within the Green Belt. The default “yes” will also apply equally across all local authorities, so that these benefits are seized across the country. The proposals will also include minimum housing density standards for these sites, expected to be exceeded in many cases, to make the most of sustainable growth opportunities for local housing, jobs, and businesses. 

Measures will also require councils to inform government when they’re inclined to block applications of 150 homes or more so ministers can decide whether to step in and make the decision instead, making sure that good housing projects don’t get lost.  

Particular attention will be paid to those applications where a planning committee intends to refuse it contrary to the advice of planning officers. 

Applications called in by ministers will also be sped up through the removal of the mandatory requirement for inquiries, with the option to consider matters through written representations before reaching a decision where appropriate.   

Alongside this, the package will drive down the number of applications considered by some statutory consultees by up to 40%. It will also consult on proposals to remove Sport England, The Gardens Trust and Theatres Trust from the list of organisations that have to be consulted by law.