HBF has submitted its consultation response. Our principal concerns are:
- The proposals as drafted will significantly reduce the number of new homes being planned for, with significant knock-on economic and socio-economic impacts;
- Of over 50 new policy provisions only three (support for community-led housing groups; support for the supply of specialist older people’s housing; and encouragement for upward extensions by way of mansard roofs) could be said to be in any way positive towards new development;
- The reduction will be exacerbated because where LPAs do plan for less it will become more difficult for unmet need to be met elsewhere;
- The crisis in local plan-making is set to continue and when plans do progress, they will have a lower bar to get over in order to be found sound; and
- The Government is set to respond to the consultation in ‘Spring 2023’, adopting the NPPF revisions as part of this exercise, which suggests that these significant changes will not be properly considered.
