Angela Rayner has relaxed planning restrictions on new homes, allowing developers greater scope to build on gardens and intensify suburban sites as the Government struggles to deliver its pledge of 1.5m new homes by the end of the decade.
The changes remove some of the constraints governing development on residential plots, potentially opening the way for larger schemes in existing gardens and built-up areas.
Under the previous guidance, new development generally had to remain within twice the footprint of the existing building, while at least half of the previously undeveloped part of a plot was expected to remain free from construction.
The revised rules allow those restrictions to be bypassed where “additional development can be accommodated without harm to the overall character of the area, and taking into account the availability of infrastructure”.
The change is the latest attempt by Rayner, the housing secretary, to increase the amount of land available for construction as Labour faces a widening gap between its housing ambitions and actual delivery.
Sir James Cleverly, the shadow housing secretary, accused ministers of mounting an assault on established planning protections.
“Labour have doubled down on their all-out assault on the green belt, and now they are returning to garden grabbing,” he told The Telegraph.
“Blocks of flats are set to be crammed into the suburbs, eating up green space and fundamentally altering the character of local communities.”
The policy represents the second significant relaxation of planning restrictions under Rayner.
Earlier changes to the National Planning Policy Framework weakened protections around parts of the green belt, including creating a presumption in favour of housing development within walking distance of railway stations.
The latest reforms extend the Government’s push towards greater density within existing settlements, reflecting the argument that Britain’s housing shortage cannot be solved without making more intensive use of land already connected to roads, railways and public services.
But the political trade-off is increasingly apparent.
The Government needs to accelerate construction while avoiding a backlash from existing communities concerned about congestion, pressure on schools and GP surgeries, loss of gardens and changes to the character of suburban neighbourhoods.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government defended the reforms as a more efficient use of scarce urban land.
“We have made changes which recognise that in many places, there is potential for more development, to support thriving neighbourhoods, improve access to jobs and services, and make the best use of land within our towns and cities,” a spokesman said.
“Our changes will help more homes to be built where they are needed, while stopping unsuitable development. Local people will still be able to have their say, and councils must take those views into account.”
The Government’s target of 1.5m homes has become one of the most difficult tests of its domestic economic programme.
For Labour, allowing more construction within existing neighbourhoods offers a route to increase supply without relying exclusively on large new developments at the edge of towns.
For opponents, however, the reforms risk turning the housing shortage into a battle over the gardens and green spaces of existing homeowners.
The immediate question is whether greater planning flexibility can translate into a meaningful increase in completed homes — or whether the Government will simply shift the political costs of its housing target from Westminster to local communities.
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