Pause housebuilding targets imposed on councils, review and identify local need

We ask the government to pause housebuilding targets and consult local communities to identify where substantial house building is needed, not where developers prefer to build. We worry about developers appealing rejected applications and councils and communities often having no funds for a defence.

We are concerned that villages are being overwhelmed by inappropriate planning applications from land banking developers despite the lack of employment, infrastructure, and services in rural areas – outdated water/sewage pipes, inadequate public transport, limited health services. We feel that local housing needs do not require high end houses nor anything like the numbers of houses proposed.

In Mickleton, applications for hundreds of new houses have been submitted, representing a significant increase in village size. A local survey indicated a preference amongst many residents for accepting no more than 50 new homes over the next 5 years.

In December 2024, the government introduced a new standard method for assessing housing needs that better directs new homes to where they are most needed and least affordable.

To identify the minimum number of homes expected to be planned for, the new standard method uses a formula that incorporates a baseline of local housing stock, which is adjusted upwards to reflect local affordability pressures. Areas where unaffordability is most acute see the largest adjustment.

The new method strikes a balance between meeting the scale of need right across the country and focusing additional growth on those places facing the biggest affordability pressures. It is based on a more objective assessment of need and supports a more strategic approach to housing, distributing growth across wider city regions, not just to the largest urban authority within our largest cities.

The standard method is used by local authorities to inform the preparation of their local plans. Once local housing need has been assessed, authorities should then calculate the number of new homes that can be provided in their area. This should be justified by evidence on land availability and constraints on development, such as National Landscapes and areas at risk of flooding, and any other relevant matters.

It is for local authorities, in consultation with their communities, to set out the most appropriate strategy to meet their housing needs. The government expects local authorities to explore all options to deliver the homes their communities need – maximising brownfield land, working with neighbouring authorities, and, where necessary, reviewing Green Belt.