Last week the government made some interesting changes to planning rules which are set to come into force in September.
Meanwhile a full planning permission would no longer be needed when demolishing and rebuilding unused buildings.
With this new process the waiting time for developments will apparently be cut from 16 weeks to eight.
This represents a continuation of Boris Johnson’s message that regulations will be loosened to make it easier to build, and it seems a good one on the surface.
I must say it’s positive to see the government addressing the issue of boosting housing stock, especially after the sticking plaster move of introducing a stamp duty holiday.
However I have some mixed feelings about both changes.
When it comes to the two storey extension part, I’m unsure that will encourage home moves up and down the country.
Indeed, I was under the impression that one of the biggest issues with the market is a lack of homes suitable for first-time buyers.
If the government encourages people to build extensions, won’t that result in more homes with a large number of bedrooms that are out of reach for those looking to make their first step on the ladder?
The part where unused buildings could be converted into homes has potential to be more beneficial for society, though there are complications to overcome.
The Royal Institute of British Architects has warned that it could create slums by seeing the development of smaller poor-quality homes from converted commercial buildings.
This is definitely a concern the government should take into account, however the trouble is the UK does need smaller homes.
To solve these problems perhaps there should be some limits on the size of homes that are able to be created from former offices.
Clearly, there’s a lot of conversations that need to be had between now and September, and hopefully the government listens to the experts before the final legislation hits the market.
Ryan Bembridge, Editor, PropertyWire
