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Integrated Transport Strategy
Just before she resigned as Minister, The Rt Hon Louise Haigh MP launched a process for preparing England’s first Integrated National Transport Strategy, which is to be published in 2025. There is a consultation to seek ideas for it running until 30th January 2025.
£3 billion housebuilding scheme
Three billion pounds in guarantees will be made available by Government to help builders apply for more accessible loans from banks and lenders. It is part of a new package confirmed by the Housing Minister and covers support to SME housebuilders for them to deliver over 20,000 new homes including specialised housing for older people.
Housing for an ageing population
The Government has published a report with recommendations on this subject, also described as “Later Living Homes (LLH)”.
Permitted development homes could be uninhabitable
Insurer Zurich UK has warned that office-to-residential conversions introduced in 2013 must be done properly or they will be uninhabitable for the future. Housing does not need to meet building regulations where there is a ‘material change of use’. The report details the serious problems found. 89,500 homes have been developed from commercial buildings and the lifting of a size cap on office-to-residential conversions in March led to applications increasing by 20% in England in a year.
Additional London Plan Guidance issued
The GLA has issued two more pieces of London Plan Guidance for Councils to apply in support of the implementation of London Plan Policies H15 and SI6 which are at the following links:-
Purpose-built Student Accommodation and Digital Connectivity Infrastructure
Chief Planner’s newsletter to LPAs November 2024
Joanna Averley, the DHCLG Chief Planner, has issued another newsletter to local authorities. It covers new regulations arising from the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 relating to Compulsory Purchase that allow ‘hope value’ to be removed from the assessment of compulsory purchase compensation. It announces interim planning guidance on how to consider the targets of the Environment Act 2021 for fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) in planning decisions. Also, an interactive tool Local Authority Climate Service (LACS) is introduced to provide insights into the weather and [more…]
High streets to be revitalised with new legal powers
High Street Rental Auctions (HSRAs) have been announced by the Government. They will give businesses and community groups a ‘right to rent’ long-neglected town-centre commercial properties. HSRAs will allow local Councils to tackle persistently vacant properties by putting the leases up for auction after the powers come into force on 2nd December 2024.
A description of the process has been published by the legal firm Dentons.
Civic and community groups should ascertain how their local authority intends to apply the HSRA process.
TfL fares to be increased
Rt Hon Louise Haigh MP, Secretary of State for Transport has written to Sadiq Khan about Transport for London’s Spending Review Phase 1 Outcome FY25/26. The minister requires that “TfL rail fares will rise in line with national rail fares this year”, an imposed hike around 4.6 per cent from 2 March 2025. The Mayor had already indicated that his TfL fares freeze was unlikely to continue but this increase is significant. The letter also says that government representation on TfL’s board will continue.
Compulsory purchase guidance
On 3 October 2024 the Government introduced guidance and a factsheet as here for the removal of ‘hope value’ from the assessment of compensation when an LPA carries out compulsory purchase.
Societies could discuss with their Council if this guidance will help with land assembly for development.
Only 5% of PRS listings affordable to low income households
Research as here on behalf of London Councils has shown that people on Local Housing Allowance cannot afford 95% of private rental homes in London.
Related to that, new analysis reveals that London boroughs collectively spent £1.6 billion on homelessness in the 2023-24 financial year, with £4 million a day allocated to temporary accommodation.
Solving the Housing Affordability Crisis
The government-commissioned report “The demand for housing as an investment: Drivers, outcomes and policy interventions to enhance housing affordability in the UK” written by Professor Josh Ryan-Collins of UCL’s Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP), calls for major reforms to the UK’s housing market to curb speculative investment demand and make homes more affordable.