Yorkshire told to build 68 new homes a day to reach Government's 1.5 million target
Almost 25,000 new homes will need to be built every year in Yorkshire, the Government says, if it is to meet its commitment for 1.5 million nationally by 2029.
Detailed changes to planning laws were released yesterday, including housing targets for each local authority.
North Yorkshire received the highest target among the districts, boroughs and cities, with 4,077 new homes expected to be built annually, followed by Leeds, with 3,811.
In September, Skipton and Ripon MP Sir Julian Smith said in a letter to Angela Rayner that North Yorkshire Council is currently required to deliver 1,384 new homes per year but averages around 2,800 new homes per year.
Nationally, the Government aims to build 370,000 dwellings per year – more than 1,000 a day – and yesterday outlined several changes to planning regulations which it hopes will streamline the process for developers.
The Prime Minister said local plans to reach targets were the starting point, but that the Government would “absolutely” push development through if the plans do not work.
Sir Keir said he wanted to “get the balance right with nature and the environment” but that “a human being wanting to have a house” has to be top priority.
The updated national planning policy framework (NPPF) commits to a “brownfield first” strategy, with disused sites that have already been developed in the past prioritised for new building.
The default answer when a developer seeks to build on brownfield sites will be “yes”, but the Government says these sites will not be enough for the number of homes needed. Councils will therefore also be ordered to review their green belt boundaries to meet targets by identifying lower quality “grey belt” land that could be built on.
The framework defines the grey belt for the first time as green belt land that “does not strongly contribute to green belt purposes”. Those purposes include limiting urban sprawl, stopping neighbouring towns merging into each other and preserving the special character of historic towns.
Safeguarding the countryside from encroachment and assisting in urban regeneration are no longer included as green belt purposes.
The Conservatives accused the Government of “waging a war on rural England”, with Shadow Housing Minister Kevin Holinrake, the Thirsk and Malton MP, saying: “We do not welcome the bulldozing of democratic accountability and the lowering of housing targets for urban areas, including a 20 per cent reduction in London.
"And we do not welcome an average doubling of 100 per cent increase for predominantly rural areas.”
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