Government prepares ‘major boost' to housing

The government will launch a major initiative to boost housing supply before the end of the year, communities minister Andrew Stunell told the Liberal Democrat conference this week.

Speaking at a fringe event on housing hosted by the RIBA on Tuesday night, communities minister Andrew Stunell said that a significant announcement on the release of public land was due before Christmas. He said: “There will be a major announcement on that that I’m not authorised to talk about.”

Stunell also spoke about what he claimed were intractable problems associated with tackling the housing crisis, telling RIBA president Angela Brady that the institute’s new campaign on space standards would produce unintended consequences.

He said: “Putting one thing right makes something else go wrong. Big houses cost more, better insulated houses cost more.”

There was better news for new council housing, boosted by £100m thanks to a cut in interest rates for local authorities leaving the housing revenue account (HRA) subsidy system.

Ministers also made clear their focus on stimulating infrastructure. This included Treasury secretary Danny Alexander’s announcement of a £500m “growing places” fund to kickstart stalled local infrastructure projects.

There were also hints from business secretary Vince Cable that the party wants an even greater focus on green infrastructure investment through private savings being invested in long term funds.

On transport, Norman Baker said light rail would be boosted following research showing that it was a cheap and low-carbon form of economic stimulus.

Baker said: “Light rail presses many of the right buttons - it is popular with the public, clean and low in carbon. I want light rail to grow.”

He announced there would be a forthcoming “tram summit” and a consultation on managing potential conflicts between utilities and light rail.

The industry will also welcome the fact that there was no sign of a U-turn on the under-fire draft National Planning Policy Framework, despite a meeting between Stunell and the Campaign to Protect Rural England - a staunch opponent of the policy - and a call by some Liberal Democrat MPs for a new definition of “sustainable development”.

Prime minister David Cameron this week wrote to the National Trust, which has campaigned strongly against the NPPF, making plain he has no plans to dilute the draft policy.

He did seek to reassure it that he shares its commitment to the environment, and urged it to enter a dialogue over planning reform. He wrote: “Our reform proposals are intended to simplify the system, strengthen local participation and secure sustainable development.”