Wilfred Aspinall is a member of Hitchin Conservative Association and an Eastern Region ambassador on the Conservative Policy Forum. He is also the former Chair of the European Parliament Forum for Construction and Energy Users.
Instead of all the talk about housebuilding, we need positive action. We have had enough of empty promises to build more houses; we have to put forward positive policies to actually deal with building these needed houses.
Data on house completions indicate that more concerted efforts are needed to accelerate housebuilding to meet demands and national targets. One of my pieces for ConHome last year was an attempt to instil in the Conservative government strategy that we needed planning reform, but also a forward economic and social approach so young people can aspire into a prosperity society.
To do that we must adopt a different approach to house (and infrastructure) construction. Homeownership is at the core of our British culture. The right to own your own home in which to be happy and prosper.
The Conservative Party should declare it is in favour of home ownership and champion policies to promote that aspiration for all. To annually build at least 300k (actually more) houses with modern infrastructure alongside – promoting growth and economic prosperity.
Looking to the future we have to accept that there has been an increase in the number of young people who for various reasons live alone. This is a further reason to build more homes. House prices have rocketed and more could be done to incentivise the orthodoxy.
We should offer a direct contract with the British people.
The Labour Party policy to build houses really means more council houses. This is an ideology to deter homeownership and creates an economic problem for the future. If the majority of new houses are council or social houses, the build will have to be funded by local authority or state funding. That means increasing taxes. (Remember also the socialist ideology is actually to control the population by economic dominance.)
Those renting may not get the opportunity to acquire an asset which they can use for their future. Rent for a council house (or a private rent) continues after a person has retired, which provides them with no financial equity backup.
Our objective is to lower taxes and reduce dependence on the state; foster individual prosperity and responsibility; make life better for ourselves. So the rhetoric has to stop, and positive recommendations should be made (and delivered) by the Conservative Party.
The revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) still retains a strategy of restraint. The NPPF should encourage Local Planning Authorities, builders, self builders, mortgage lenders and the public with clear positive house building guidelines.
Planning Officers should stop using bureaucratic measures insisting on “conditions” that have to be undertaken before any actual building takes place. These conditions can hold up a development for many months even years. Large developers can weather the inconvenience, but a small local builder and self-builders have financial restraints if they are not able to get on with the build. This adds to the final cost of the house.
In order to annually build 300k + houses we should certainly scrap “preconditions” – and all unnecessary other conditions to approve planning applications. These have been used by planners to pacify the NIMBY culture. Well that has now changed and lengthy duplication of reports on the environment, habitat, archaeology, flooding etc. should be negated. We need to just build; same applies to important infrastructure.
The “official consultees” regime is not transparent in the way they operate, nor in this new age of digital activity do we examine what terms they operate under. Do these consultees have a mandate, maintain transparency, a consistent official guideline, even a veto, or just individuals expressing a personal view? Some are part of and funded by public service finance, others NGOs, and some external bodies used to create restraint in building and infrastructure. (Just look at the history of HS2 and the bat tunnel, but there are many other examples that do not become public knowledge.)
The waste of time and the cost becomes unsustainable. The fact is that the “consultees” have no actual powers but LPA’s have allowed planning officers to defer to them. They can veto planning applications and insist actions be taken on their insistence. All this is time consuming and costly and not necessary.
We should review all quango bodies involved in house building and construction projects. These external opinions are not necessary if we have well qualified LPA Planners. We should not allow councillors and planning officers to hide behind the comments of such bodies.
We must have professional experienced planning officers and Councillors taking the view that if a consultee opposes a planning application – that is but a comment. It is the responsibility of the LPA; their decision. These consultees are only there to express a view, not act in the decision process. It is the planning officer, under delegated authority together with Councillors, that actually make the decision. It appears that the consultee expressing a negative opinion provokes the planning application to be refused or conditions set out that are time consuming, very costly and duplication.
The Conservative Party should review the function of all publicly funded NGOs to decide whether their existence can be justified. These consultees seem to take on a role to monitor the build as if they own the project.
As an example, look for yourself at any local planning application. The application itself (perhaps for a small extension) may take up just four pages but all the reports demanded by the Consultee regime takes up another 24 pages. The small local builder (and self builders) becomes overwhelmed.
We need to promote a housing strategy providing speedy planning permission to provide private capital and fiscal incentives, otherwise we will not achieve annual targets. This strategy can also include council/social houses since private funds can be made available as required.
The eight weeks for a planning application to be finally decided should be rigorous. If no decision is forthcoming, the application treated as approved. No excuses, no extension.
Young people want to own their own home and in a changing economic environment to take advantage of the prosperity that follows. We must hear them. The Conservative Party should make a commitment: a contract with the young electorate to deliver at least 300,000 + houses every year.
There is no shortage of land in the UK and the ideology surrounding “green belt” and areas defined as “beyond the green belt” should be open to common sense discussion. If a site is available, viable, in the right place, it should be considered a sustainable venture.
We should promote building houses on land adjacent to Towns and Category A villages, which would add to those communities economic and social well being. In addition, providing a chance to add locally needed amenities financed by the building levy.
Houses of all types will increase council tax income, and the increased number of residents add prosperity to the town or village. The objective should be “live for the future not the past”.
Shortages of skilled trade workers is an issue, but that will be solved if there is a positive secure building and funding policy. That includes fast delivery of modular structures prepared in a factory and erected on site in record time.
Proposals for a contract to build more houses
The Conservative Party should support and champion home ownership for young people and set out a new housebuilding strategy and contract-based on the following practical policies:
- Promote homeownership for young people and instilling the opportunity for economic prosperity by delivering the necessary incentives (financial and fiscal). This will fulfil the aspirations of many young people.
- All properties (houses and flats) should be freehold.
- The purchase of a property is a fantastic opportunity to save for the future as an investment and asset. This should be recognised.
- Houses/flats built with modern eco-friendly design and materials, according to demand and cost – including traditional builds and modular construction with individual specifications – design codes adopted
- The modular construction can be of various sizes and affordable; can be manufactured in a factory (including all utility fittings), erected on site in a day for the smallest and a little more for others. The cost managed, the size open to affordability. The objective to speedily get as many houses built, covering all types and sizes. This action will go some way to fulfilling the aspirations of many young people.
- The same criteria being applicable to a traditionally built property.
- Clear positive guidelines for LPA’s to maximise the potential to build houses in their Authority to satisfy demand. New rules to ensure there are no preconditions or specific conditions set out to restrain house building. These have traditionally been used and introduced to pacify the NIMBY culture but also to restrain the building of houses.
- Planning application determined within the eight weeks timespan – no extensions, no additional demands, no excuses. Failure to comply resulting in permitted development to proceed to build.
- Encourage a secure funding strategy (often from private borrowing) for the builder, especially the local small builder and self-builders. This will evolve if building permissions are speedily granted and houses erected and sold quickly. Turnover is essential for lender, builder and buyer. The mortgage lenders will respond
- Adopt a mortgage incentive plan with mortgage lenders to build houses bringing about prosperity for those living in that location.
Building houses and infrastructure creates growth in the economy. Employment for builders and other trades, plus the services that follow on. In addition individual personal savings for the future.
The funding of building houses mainly coming from the private sector, based on the logic that houses are an asset for the future.
Banks and mortgage lenders given confidence that their lending strategy is secure and that interest payments continue to bring in interest returns.
The Conservative Party should adopt policies to encourage building contractors (SMEs and self builders) and buyers, to create certainty to borrow funds. Incentives for first time house purchase (and for down-sizers to vacate their family homes). This would include a contract between the below with banks and mortgage lenders:
- Better access to land, with certainty to build without preconditions and conditions demanded as part of the permission to build. A register of available land drawn up in each LPA. Cut out bureaucracy in planning rules to create a positive message to build. Adopt an attitude to solve the housing crisis. Let common sense rule.
- Planning rules supporting viable property building both within and especially on land adjacent to Towns and Category A villages.
- Brown field sites to be explored and economic viability tested.
- Parts of the Green Belt and Areas beyond the Green Belt to be positively considered as development land following consultation.
- Well designed individual homes to satisfy the aspirations of buyers. All houses to be provided with an adequate garden for the resident’s private use.
- Green spaces surrounding the properties to accommodate leisure and play. The planting of trees and bushes.
- Incentives to establish local amenities such as community centres, a well stocked shop with services to provide affordable prices, facilities for youth gathering and for an ageing society. Access to public transport. Future local medical support.
- Building Developers continue to introduce incentives such as help with deposits, payment of stamp duty, conveyance costs. (These incentives however are not affordable to the small local builder and do nothing for the self builder.)
- Discussions to take place with mortgage lenders on extending the Right to Buy Scheme, with reduced deposit and equity loans and repayment terms spread over longer terms. Mortgages to be made available based on market accessibility through the private lending sector, taken out over an extended period covering the home owners working years.
- Stamp Duty waived on purchases of houses up to £500k for first time, young buyers and for those downsizing.
- Mortgage interest relief at source to be reintroduced for five years for an unlimited sum. This would provide additional monthly income to encourage homeownership, also a fiscal incentive. This should be part of our policy to reduce state control.
We as a Party must fulfil the aspirations of the many. Look to a modern future. Champion house and infrastructure developments.
In April 2024 I had the following piece published in ConHome. Nothing happened then before the General Election, and it appears not to have changed as we are still pandering to the orthodox culture of restraint. That must change.
