006- What’s Next for the UK Planning System? Part 2- Keir Starmer’s Labour Government and the Future of Home Building

​Introduction: The Housing Crisis and the Allure of Promises 

​The United Kingdom's planning system is like Marmite—you either hate it or really, really hate it. Yet, with a new Labour government under Keir Starmer in charge, the planning system is poised to undergo significant changes, or so the promises go. Starmer and his team have made ambitious commitments to reform the planning system and address the chronic housing shortage that has plagued the UK for years. But before we get too carried away, it’s worth pausing to consider what’s actually likely to happen when promises meet the reality of governing.
In this article, we'll delve into the Labour Party’s promises, compare them with past efforts at reform, and attempt to make an educated guess about what lies ahead for the UK’s planning system and home building sector. Spoiler alert: it's going to be a wild ride, but whether it will be a smooth one for us and our clients remains to be seen.

The Labour Party's Promises: Big, Bold, and Potentially Bogged Down 

​When it comes to the planning system, Labour's manifesto reads like a dream for frustrated would-be homeowners and overworked town planners alike. Among the key promises are:

1. A Simplified Planning Process: Starmer’s Labour has vowed to cut through the infamous red tape that entangles planning applications, promising a more streamlined, transparent, and efficient process.
2. Building More Homes: The Labour government has committed to building at least 300,000 new homes each year, with a significant portion being affordable housing. They have also talked about empowering local authorities to build more council homes, harkening back to the post-war era (chat GPT describes this era from a quality perspective as basic, functional and temporary) .
3. Prioritising Sustainability: There’s a strong emphasis on sustainability, with new developments expected to be environmentally friendly and built with future generations in mind. This includes a push for zero-carbon homes and greater integration of green spaces in urban areas.
4. Regional Rebalancing: Labour aims to spread development more evenly across the country, addressing the North-South divide by incentivizing development in underfunded regions.
5. Community-Led Planning: They have also promised to give communities more power in shaping their local areas, potentially shifting the balance of power away from developers.

These promises sound impressive on paper, but how likely are they to be fulfilled? For that, we need to take a quick trip down memory lane to see how past governments have fared when attempting to overhaul the planning system.

The Ghosts of Planning Reforms Past 

​As touched on in our earlier article the planning system has been a political football for decades, with successive governments attempting to fix its myriad problems. However, as the document "Is the UK Planning System Fit for Purpose to Promote Development and Economic Growth in the 21st Century?" points out, these efforts have often resulted in more complexity rather than less.

 The Thatcher Years- Deregulation with a Dash of Nimbyism

​Margaret Thatcher’s government in the 1980s embarked on a mission to deregulate the planning system as part of a broader neoliberal agenda. The idea was to encourage private sector development by reducing state intervention. However, this also laid the groundwork for the rise of NIMBYism (Not In My Backyard), as local communities were given greater power to block developments they didn’t like. The result? A patchwork of developments with little coherence or long-term planning, and a sharp decline in social housing construction.

New Labour- Brownfield Dreams and the Barker Review 
​

​Fast forward to the late 1990s and early 2000s, Tony Blair’s New Labour government made some headway with the introduction of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the Barker Review of Housing Supply. The focus was on developing brownfield sites and increasing housing supply, but the reforms didn’t go far enough to address the root causes of the housing crisis. By the time Gordon Brown was in office, the global financial crisis had derailed any hopes of large-scale housing reform.

 The Coalition and Conservative Years- Planning for Housing... Sort Of  

​The Conservative-led Coalition (2010-2015) and recent majority government (2015-2024) introduced the Localism Act, which was supposed to empower local communities but often ended up empowering opposition to new developments. The Conservatives’ later attempts to reform planning, particularly under Boris Johnson, included proposals to “build, build, build” and introduce a new zoning system. However, these plans were met with significant opposition within the party, leading to watered-down reforms that did little to solve the underlying issues.

Lessons Learned- The System is More Than Just Red Tape  

​One of the key takeaways from these historical attempts is that the planning system’s problems are deeply entrenched and not merely a matter of red tape. The challenges are multifaceted, involving political will, economic factors, community resistance, and the delicate balancing act between development and environmental protection. Moreover, as the aforementioned document highlights, the UK planning system is often criticized for being slow, bureaucratic, and opaque, but any reforms need to tread carefully to avoid unintended consequences.

What Will Keir Starmer's Labour Government Actually Do?

Given the historical context, what can we realistically expect from the Labour government? Here’s an educated prediction, with a touch of humour.
1. Simplifying the Planning Process: The Sisyphean Task
Labour’s promise to simplify the planning process is noble, but it’s akin to trying to untangle a ball of Christmas lights. The planning system is complex for a reason—it’s designed to balance a myriad of competing interests, from developers and local authorities to environmental groups and residents.
While Labour might succeed in making some incremental improvements, such as digitizing more of the application process or reducing some of the bureaucratic hurdles, a complete overhaul seems unlikely. More likely, we’ll see a few changes that make the system look simpler on the surface, but the core complexities will remain intact. It’s a bit like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic—it looks nice, but it doesn’t change the underlying problem.
Alternatively the historic hot topic has been planning in principle but due to local authority negativity and stakeholders inflicting grief. Planning are often opposed to simply providing approvals particularly if planning would not ordinarily be accepted. It creates a job for planning consultants but forms a labyrinth in actually providing housing for ‘the people’.
2. Building More Homes: The Tug of War Begins
The commitment to building 300,000 homes a year is another laudable goal, but it’s easier said than done. The obstacles are numerous: land availability, skilled labour shortages, supply chain issues, and, of course, NIMBYism.
One potential strategy Labour might adopt is to increase funding for local authorities to build more council homes, a move that could have a significant impact if done at scale. However, this will require not just money but also political willpower to push through the inevitable local opposition. It’s worth noting that previous attempts to build at scale, such as during the post-war period, were successful largely because they had broad political and public support—something that is harder to come by today.
Another potential pitfall is the risk of focusing too much on quantity at the expense of quality. The rush to build homes could lead to poorly designed, unsustainable developments that don’t stand the test of time. Remember the post-war tower blocks, corroding steel frames and Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) of the past 70 years? These methods and materials were built quickly to solve a crisis, but many were later demolished due to poor construction and design.*idea for future post. This is not just an issue of the past in 2018 following the devastation of Grenfell, Dame Judith Hackitt wrote within “Building a Safer Future” that the Home Builders Federation (HBF) perceive common defects include issues with fittings, poor workmanship, and inadequate finishing occur within around 15% of new homes within the first two years of purchase. This may worsen if ‘affordable’ housing ouput increases drastically at a time of still shortages.
3. Prioritising Sustainability: Green is the New Black
Labour’s focus on sustainability is both timely and necessary, especially given the increasing urgency of the climate crisis. However, sustainable development often comes with higher upfront costs, which could make it harder to meet the ambitious housing targets.
Expect to see Labour pushing for stricter environmental regulations on new developments, which could include higher standards for energy efficiency, the inclusion of renewable energy sources, and the preservation of green spaces. However, these measures could also slow down the planning process, as developers will need to navigate additional requirements.
One area where Labour could make a real difference is by incentivizing the retrofitting of existing homes to make them more energy-efficient. This would not only reduce carbon emissions but also alleviate some of the pressure to build new homes by making better use of the existing housing stock.
4. Regional Rebalancing: A Long Road Ahead
Addressing the North-South divide is a noble aim, but it’s also one that has eluded successive governments for decades. Labour’s promise to spread development more evenly across the country will likely involve a combination of infrastructure investment and incentives for businesses to set up shop outside of London and the South East.
However, while infrastructure projects like HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail could help stimulate economic growth in the North, they are also expensive and time-consuming. Moreover, simply building homes and offices in the North won’t be enough to attract people and businesses—there needs to be a concerted effort to create the conditions for economic growth, including improving education, healthcare, and public services.
The risk here is that Labour’s regional rebalancing efforts could end up being more about optics than substance. Without significant investment and a long-term strategy, we could see more ribbon-cutting ceremonies than meaningful change.
5. Community-Led Planning: Who’s Really in Charge?
Labour’s promise to give communities more power in the planning process is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it could lead to developments that are better suited to local needs and preferences. On the other hand, it could also empower NIMBYism, making it even harder to build the homes the country so desperately needs.
One potential solution is to strike a balance between community involvement and top-down decision-making. This could involve setting clear guidelines for development that communities must adhere to, while still allowing them some say in how developments are designed and implemented.
However, this is easier said than done. Communities are often divided on what they want, and even the most well-intentioned efforts to involve them in the planning process can end up being bogged down in endless consultations and debates.
Similarly significant investment into local infrastructure, facilities and public services may buy the hand of those communities who are typically opposed to development but this will require a secondary investment from a government who refer to their inherited economic position that was referred by Kier Starmer as “Deeply Troubling”. Is there room in the pot for bargaining and enhancing public services to provide the 1.5 million homes promised without the local communities feeling robbed of the local school places, doctors appointments and seat on the bus? 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, while Keir Starmer's Labour government has laid out ambitious plans to overhaul the UK's planning system, the reality of implementing these reforms is likely to be far more complex and challenging.
The promises of a simplified planning process, increased home building, sustainability, regional rebalancing, and community-led planning are all admirable, but they face significant obstacles. Historical attempts at reform have shown that the planning system's deep-rooted complexities, coupled with economic, political, and social challenges, often dilute bold initiatives. Labour may achieve some incremental changes, but the likelihood of a transformative overhaul seems limited. The balancing act between development and community interests, public services, as well as the need for political will and sustained investment, will be critical in determining whether these promises lead to meaningful change or become another chapter in the ongoing saga of the UK’s housing crisis.
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References

1. Barker, K. (2004). Review of Housing Supply: Delivering Stability: Securing our Future Housing Needs. HM Treasury.
2. Department for Communities and Local Government (2012). National Planning Policy Framework. UK Government.
3. HM Government (2011). Localism Act 2011. The Stationery Office.
4. Thatcher, M. (1987). The Downing Street Years. HarperCollins Publishers.
5. The Labour Party (2023). Labour Party Manifesto 2023. The Labour Party.
6. Wilson, W., & Barton, C. (2021). Is the UK Planning System Fit for Purpose to Promote Development and Economic Growth in the 21st Century? House of Commons Library.
7. Wray, J. (2020). Planning for the Future: White Paper 2020. Department for Communities and Local Government.

About the Author

Joe Marshall BSc (Hons)
Building Surveyor and Director of Silver Teal Ltd

With an expansive career throughout London and Southeast England. Joe brings a wealth of expertise to the Silver Teal Workspace. His extensive experience in both public and private sectors, notably in social housing and emergency services, has honed his proficiency in building pathology and the overall built environment. Joe's academic achievements are highlighted by his 1st Class Honours degree in Building Surveying.

As a director, he is a fervent advocate for nurturing young talent and fostering industry growth. Joe is committed to propelling Silver Teal Workspace forward with his visionary leadership.

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