18 COMMENT
area. The LGA says that communities having a say on individual planning applications is an integral part of ensuring a locally-led planning system. It is good that the Government has
moved to allay the negative impact on communities of permitted development rights by introducing space standards for new homes. However, concerns remain about the quality, design and safety, as well as location of this type of housing. This also does not address the standards of housing previously delivered under permitted development.
homes built with permitted development rights, as well as the location of this type of housing.
EXISTING PLANNING APPROVALS Latest figures show more than 1.1 million homes given planning permission over the past decade are yet to be built, and councils are approving nine in 10 planning applications. There is also land for more than one million additional homes already allocated in Local Plans which developers have not yet brought forward to the planning application stage. The LGA is calling on the Government
to introduce measures to incentivise developers to build housing more quickly, for example, by giving councils powers to be able to levy full council tax on incom- plete properties, as recently supported by the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee. Meanwhile on the vexed issue of the
threats faced by small rural communities, changes to existing planning laws have allowed a surge of almost 225 per cent in new homes created by converting barns and farm buildings without planning permission in the past five years. Figures collected by the LGA show that
734 homes in England were created as a result of agricultural to residential conver- sions in 2019/20 under permitted development rights, which allow develop- ers to bypass the planning system, compared with 226 in 2015/16.
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As they do not need full planning permission, developers are not required to contribute towards local infrastructure projects, such as roads, schools and GP surgeries, nor do they have to provide any new, affordable housing for local residents.
SPECIFIC PROBLEMS FOR RURAL VILLAGES This in turn has led to problems such as increased overcrowding, unsuitable properties being brought back into use, a growth in homelessness and younger people leaving the countryside for opportunities in bigger towns and cities. New homes in villages are often not relieving local pressures as many of them are being bought as second homes, or as holiday lets. Devon saw the highest number of agricultural buildings turned into homes in 2019/20 with 127 conversions, followed by Dorset (73), Kent (68), Northamptonshire (33) and Essex (30). The LGA is calling on the Government
to revoke the nationally prescribed permitted development right, which has also been used to convert nearly 65,000 homes from offices since 2015/16. This alone could have led to the loss of more than 16,000 affordable homes as a result. Residents are unable to have their say
on these conversions to ensure they meet high quality standards and are both sustainable and suitable for their local
INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT NEEDED Councillor David Renard, LGA housing spokesperson said: “Councils are absolutely committed to working with the Government to build the housing the country desperately needs. However, it is a growing concern that we are seeing more and more barns and farm buildings in rural areas turned into homes without planning permission. “Residents in any area need to have the support of strong infrastructure in place, whether that is schools, surgeries or adequate road networks. If developers are not obliged to provide any of these, then there is a real risk some communities could miss out on these vital services.” He added: “This is why it is really important that all new housing developments go through a locally-led planning system, so these checks can be made with the oversight of local communities. This needs to be at the heart of the Government’s planning reforms, as we await the details of its Planning Bill later this year.” It is acknowledged that housing pressures in England are intense, with at least 93,000 households in temporary accommodation and 1.1 million households currently on the waiting list for a social home, but the houses we build today will be with us for decades to come and they need to be built in the right places, with the present and future needs of residents very much to the fore. As well as working to increase the availability of new homes, the Government needs to focus more of its efforts on affordability. This is particularly a major factor in rural areas which suffer from lower than average wages, coupled with higher prices for public transport and goods in local shops. Some of the solutions being put
forward by Ministers are in danger of undermining the influence of local politicians and residents in finding the answers to local housing problems, while foisting on them housing schemes that could become ‘white elephants’ almost immediately.
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