That is changing the contours of the countryside—and of politics | Britain
In the key battleground of London and the south-east, however, housing developers are facing stiffer resistance. After decades of demand far outstripping supply, Britain is once again building lots of homes, but not yet as many as the government wants—and, worse, not in the right places. It wants to force councils in popular, pricey regions to allow more development, but is wavering in the face of electoral opposition.
Planning rules have already been loosened in several ways over the past decade. A change in 2012 made it easier to build on farmland near towns, the effects of which can already be seen in places such as Wiltshire. According to Residential Analysts, a research firm, over the past decade the price paid per plot by the big housebuilders stayed steady or even fell.
Even after these reforms, however, planners often stop local supply rising in response to local demand. The Local Government Association , a trade body for councils, argues that nine out of ten planning applications are approved. But that disguises wide regional variation. Councils within commuting distance of London still block much development. According to the Centre for Cities, over a fifth of urban neighbourhoods outside city centres have built no new houses since 2011.
Mr Johnson’s government briefly seemed ready to tackle these problems head-on. A white paper last August promised the biggest shake-up of planning in decades. Every council would have to write a ten-year plan consistent with providing its share of the national target, categorising all land as protected , or earmarked for renewal or growth . Locals would lose the ability to comment on individual applications, but would still get a say on the new ten-year plans that underpin the zones.
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