Angela Rayner will set out a sweeping new planning strategy on Monday, with changes to make it easier to build homes near stations and to protect pubs, as the government seeks to deliver 1.5 million homes by 2029.
Planning Rules Rewritten to Fast-Track Homes Near Transport Hubs
The Housing Secretary announced that planning rules will be rewritten to fast-track homes near transport hubs, meaning there will be a default 'yes' for houses and flats within a reasonable walking distance of stations. The changes will be set out in a new National Planning Policy Framework, detailing how the government plans to deliver on its promise to build 1.5 million new homes by 2029. Just a quarter of this has been achieved since the general election, latest figures show.
New Protections for Pubs
New rules will prevent pubs from being turned into offices or flats, with developers forced to prove there is no realistic prospect of the venue surviving. Developers will have to show that venues have been marketed for sale for at least a year, and councils will have to weigh up whether a community would lose a place for people to gather.
Ms Rayner said: “A safe, secure home is the foundation of opportunity, but too many people are being priced out of the communities where they want to live and work. By unlocking thousands of homes around well-connected transport hubs, we're helping people live closer to work, school and the services they rely on, while backing local businesses and driving growth in our communities. That's how we'll tackle the housing crisis and raise living standards for people in every corner of the country.”
She added: “Pubs are part of who we are as a nation. They’re where we celebrate, grieve, argue and belong, the beating heart of so many of our communities, and it’s an outrage that weak protections have allowed too many of them to slip away without a fight. That’s why we’re drawing a line so that developers have to prove there’s genuinely no way to save a pub before they can even think about knocking it down, because building the homes we desperately need should never come at the cost of the pubs we love.”
Reducing Bureaucracy and Progress on Housing Targets
Another change in the strategy will see the number of organisations that have to be consulted by law cut in order to reduce bureaucracy. Chancellor John Healey said: "We want to drive growth in every postcode and help more working people into home ownership. A secure home is the heart of all our lives, helping people put down roots, plan for the future and build a good life for themselves and their families. This is about creating opportunity, prosperity and stronger communities across the country."
The Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) estimates that 794 pubs have closed this year, with 82 of them either demolished or converted. It is currently estimated that 392,400 new homes had been delivered in England between July 2024, when Labour came into office, and June 14 this year.
