The housing ministry announced yesterday that house-building near \u2018well-connected train stations\u2019 will receive a default \u2018yes\u2019 if it meets certain rules, in an effort to accelerate regeneration projects and \u2018get spades in the ground faster\u2019.<\/p>\n
The government also revealed that it will introduce measures requiring councils to tell it when they are intending to block applications of 150 or more homes, giving ministers the chance to step in and overrule them.<\/p>\n
The move is a victory for RCKa founder and architect Russell Curtis. Curtis mapped every\u00a0railway\u00a0station in England and used publicly-accessible data and, excluding constraints such as natural habitats and flood risk, demonstrated that 777 of them have development potential, writing about this in the AJ in 2023<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Other architects speaking to the AJ were broadly supportive of the changes, which they hope will speed up what can be a lengthy and complex planning process.<\/p>\n Luke Tozer of Architects\u2019 Action For Affordable Housing (AA4AH) described the news as \u2018a welcome shift towards proactive planning and away from development control\u2019. He argued that housing should focus on areas such as transport hubs that already feature existing infrastructure, public transport capacity and access to jobs.<\/p>\n \u2018These are precisely the locations where good design matters most\u2019<\/p>\n Tozer, also a co-founder of Pitman Tozer Architects, pointed to his own experience delivering homes next to rail infrastructure in Plaistow<\/a>, east London \u2013 a project<\/a> that \u2018took 11 years and required co-ordination far beyond the planning system, involving utilities, highways and multiple public bodies to unlock inherently complicated sites close to stations\u2019.<\/p>\n He said he supported a fast-track route for this kind of housing, but also emphasised the importance of quality and ensuring that prioritised schemes create \u2018good homes, not just permissible ones\u2019.<\/p>\n Tozer continued: \u2018These are precisely the locations where good design matters most in creating high-quality homes and liveable neighbourhoods in the most sustainable locations.\u2019<\/p>\n The default \u2018yes\u2019 will only apply to applications that \u2018meet certain rules\u2019. While the government does not spell out what this means, it does say this should ensure \u2018more high-quality, affordable homes are built\u2019.<\/p>\n The new policy could affect applications such as John Pardey Architect\u2019s locally controversial proposals for 45 homes on Blackheath Station\u2019s existing car park. Despite five pre-application submissions and two design review panels over nearly three years, the scheme in the London Borough of Lewisham has yet to go to committee.<\/p>\n Barr Gazetas head of residential projects F\u00e9licie Krikler called the proposed changes a \u2018positive step\u2019 which \u2018make smart use of existing infrastructure and create homes in accessible locations\u2019.<\/p>\n \u2018While the announcement references high quality and affordable homes, the real challenge lies in the how\u2019<\/p>\n But she added: \u2018Most importantly, we must not lose sight of affordability and quality. While the announcement references \u201chigh quality and affordable\u201d homes, the real challenge lies in the how.<\/p>\n \u2018Delivering on these promises will be crucial to creating long-term, sustainable housing hubs for mixed communities around our stations.\u2019<\/p>\n The government also said its proposals would include minimum housing density standards for transport hub sites \u2013 standards that are \u2018expected to be exceeded in many cases\u2019.<\/p>\n We Made That senior associate Tom Fox argued that a \u2018step change\u2019 in density, as well as a considered public realm, in the 1km range of stations was needed to ensure that the land is put to the best possible use.<\/p>\n Fox told the AJ: \u2018It\u2019s great to see government prioritising development in the most connected parts of the UK.<\/p>\n \u2018Compact typologies, a lively mix of uses and carefully considered public realm around stations are critical to making places [where] people choose to walk and use public transport, even in well-connected places.\u2019<\/p>\n Sally Lewis, founder of Stitch, part of Broadway Malyan, described the government\u2019s moves to deliver housing near well-connected train stations as a \u2018no-brainer\u2019.<\/p>\n But she said the current planning processes were \u2018only one of many obstacles\u2019 to building more homes. \u2018In the London context, out of the top barriers to housing delivery, planning comes last after viability challenges, the state of the affordable housing market, and the BSR process,\u2019 she told the AJ.<\/p>\n \u2018Viability remains the biggest obstacle\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018Hopefully, more housing providers are becoming active in the market. The BSR [Building Safety Regulator] shows signs of an easier process. It\u2019s good news that the planning journey will be a little easier. But viability remains the biggest obstacle.\u2019<\/p>\n In relation to the new policy requiring councils to inform the government if they are \u2018inclined\u2019 to block applications of 150 or more homes, the government said it would pay particular attention \u2018to those applications where a planning committee intends to refuse it contrary to the advice of planning officers\u2019.<\/p>\n The mandatory requirement for inquiries will be removed from called-in applications, with the option to make written representations, which would be considered before a decision was reached.<\/p>\n Alongside these measures, the government has launched a consultation aimed at cutting delays to the statutory consultee system. This will consider removing Sport England, the Gardens Trust and the Theatres Trust from the list of organisations that have to be consulted by law.<\/p>\n Responding to this, Historic England co-chief executives Claudia Kenyatta and Emma Squire\u00a0said they welcomed the review and had \u2018worked closely with the ministry of housing\u2019 in developing the consultation to trim the number of statutory consultees.<\/p>\n \u2018We want to recognise the important contribution that both the Gardens Trust and the Theatres Trust make to the planning system and are pleased to see that both organisations will continue to have a formal role in the planning process,\u2019 they said.<\/p>\n \u2018These reforms rely on expertise in local planning authorities, but specialised heritage advice in local government has reduced by a third over the last 15 years.<\/p>\n \u2018Ensuring there are conservation officers with capacity, including through further roll-out of Historic England\u2019s training offer, will be key.\u2019<\/p>\n Further comment<\/p>\n Jacqui Pollard, associate director, Stride Treglown<\/p>\n Concentrating housing delivery around railway stations with a default approval does make sense. It should make development inherently more sustainable by encouraging public transport use and making better use of existing infrastructure.<\/p>\n However, these developments must be genuinely high-density to make a dent in the government\u2019s target housing numbers, and well-designed so we create places where people enjoy living.<\/p>\n We shouldn\u2019t think that this is a silver bullet<\/p>\n We shouldn\u2019t think that this is a silver bullet. Take our Clarence Road project that will deliver 432 high-density homes next to Bristol Temple Meads station as an example. It took two years to get a resolution to grant, and 12 months on, we still haven\u2019t got a signed S106 agreement. It\u2019s back to the age-old argument of planning system resources.<\/p>\n Greg Jones, director, Child Graddon Lewis<\/p>\n The presumption in favour of sustainable development has been embedded in national policy for more than a decade, and transport accessibility tools such as London\u2019s PTAL metric (informally) guide how transport accessibility informs density in design development. And everyone knows that residential values are improved with proximity to a station \u2013- helping viability.<\/p>\n Against that backdrop, it is not yet clear how the government\u2019s latest announcement shifts the statutory framework. Much will depend on how planning departments interpret the balance between new emphasis at national policy level and the local policy weight once the detail emerges. The intent, however, appears constructive.<\/p>\n Concentrating density around transport nodes is a sound principle<\/p>\n The real test will be the \u2018certain rules\u2019 promised in the forthcoming proposals. Concentrating density around transport nodes is a sound principle. It connects people to places without dependence on private vehicles, and the environmental and spatial benefits of reducing car reliance are well understood. Crucially, public transport hubs tend to generate far more active streets. Businesses, shops and caf\u00e9s thrive where high footfall and walkability converge, creating the social and economic opportunity that underpins successful neighbourhoods.<\/p>\n For these nodes to act as catalysts for local economies, housing must be part of the mix, but so must the wider ecosystem that makes urban centres work. Homes alone don\u2019t sustain vibrancy. Without social infrastructure, economic uses and everyday amenities, new neighbourhoods risk becoming dormitory clusters rather than genuine communities.<\/p>\n If the forthcoming rules embed safeguards for town-centre activity, services and employment as well as homes, the direction of travel could be a genuinely positive one for sustainable urbanism.<\/p>\n Stephen O\u2019Malley, chief executive, Civic<\/p>\n The government\u2019s default \u2018yes\u2019 for housing near train stations is a welcome move. For too long, less well-off members of our community have often faced a stark choice: accept long commutes or settle for homes that don\u2019t meet their needs.<\/p>\n Encouraging building in the right places, not just where land happens to be available, can unlock opportunity and reduce that burden for key workers and working families.<\/p>\n However, speed and location alone aren\u2019t enough. We need similar urgency applied to policies that enable the delivery of good-quality, affordable homes and supporting infrastructure \u2013 homes that withstand climate challenges and provide healthy living conditions. Good housing delivery must go hand-in-hand with robust infrastructure, including nature-based solutions to green and blue systems, particularly in suburban areas where many stations sit.<\/p>\n If we integrate housing with sustainable infrastructure from the outset, this policy can become a catalyst for healthier, more inclusive communities that genuinely improve lives.<\/p>\n Lukas Thiel, partner, White Arkitekter<\/p>\n The real bottleneck at the moment is the uncertainty around the Building Safety Act review time and the outcomes for high-risk buildings, that is, any residential building over 18m (usually limited to five storeys). Gateway 2 decisions, which were promised to take a maximum of four weeks, have taken as long as 40 to 60 weeks. In bids, we currently see an estimate of 25 weeks on average. This adds significant cost and risk, which is preventing many developments from coming forward<\/p>\n Steve Cooper, partner, Ridge & Partners<\/p>\n Giving an automatic green light to housing near train stations could tick several boxes at once. It speeds up housebuilding \u2013 we all know that\u2019s needed \u2013 and it links housing with infrastructure from the outset, so there\u2019s no risk that the transport links are an afterthought.<\/p>\n What\u2019s more, transport hubs often come with other infrastructure \u2018built in\u2019 or very nearby: shops, healthcare, gyms. Stations aren\u2019t just about trains; they\u2019re part of people\u2019s lives. They\u2019re places where people shop, meet and run errands. Residents of new housing need these other types of infrastructure as much as they need transport.<\/p>\n Another thing that\u2019s positive about this announcement is that it\u2019s not only targeted at urban development. While it\u2019s essential that much-needed housing in cities is underpinned by effective infrastructure, it\u2019s often even more important for urban extensions or expanding towns. Building on the green belt must never be about houses in isolation, but ensuring residents are connected to opportunities for work, education, healthcare and social connection that allow places to thrive.<\/p>\n Ben Derbyshire, chair at HTA Design and former RIBA president<\/p>\n Provisions in the planning system that favour development around transport infrastructure should help break through the welter of unthinking resistance that often hinders many sensible proposals for suburban intensification.<\/p>\n We support the early adoption of masterplans at outline planning stage, provided these are prepared in the context of thorough community engagement, airing controversial issues such as traffic management and social infrastructure in a mature and realistic way.<\/p>\n When that happens, local planning committees can be sure of democratic accountability<\/p>\n Adam Ross, executive director, Nexus Planning<\/p>\n In terms of the mission to deliver the new homes that the country requires, these additional measures (subject as always to the detail) seem to be a logical and sensible extension of those introduced to date. However, they will hopefully be complemented by the reintroduction of some form of \u2018help to buy\u2019 measures in next week\u2019s Budget, to lubricate a housing market bogged down by high costs\/prices, high interest rates and general economic instability.<\/p>\n In addition to the above, consultation has also now commenced on proposals to remove statutory consultee status from certain bodies (Sport England, the Gardens Trust and the Theatres Trust), working with the remaining statutory consultees to reduce referrals (without impacting on their core objectives), and improving performance management, ie ensuring that statutory consultees respond in a timely way.<\/p>\n Again, it is hard to argue with these principles given a process that has become increasingly and unnecessarily prolonged and bureaucratic. The key will, of course, be striking the balance appropriately and, ultimately, local planning authorities being sufficiently confident and empowered to make decisions themselves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The housing ministry announced yesterday that house-building near \u2018well-connected train stations\u2019 will receive a default \u2018yes\u2019 if it…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":271792,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[6225,6485,6486,1120,96,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-271791","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-design","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom","15":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=271791"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271791\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/271792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=271791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=271791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=271791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}