Tories insist new housebuilding plans won’t concrete over the countryside

Rishi Sunak and Michael Gove have pledged to relax planning rules in England to increase housebuilding but, crucially, they have also promised they will not “concrete over the countryside”. 

In a speech in central London, levelling up secretary Gove insisted the government would “unequivocally, unapologetically and intensively” concentrate its efforts “in the hearts of our cities”.

The proposals come two months after Labour leader Keir Starmer vowed to take on NIMBYs by giving English councils more powers to build on green belt land while blaming the Conservative party for killing the dream of home owning for an entire generation. 

Now, the government is fighting back against Labour’s attempt to position itself as the party of housebuilding – yet setting itself apart from Starmer by focussing on urban development. 

Among Gove’s proposals are changes that would make it easier to convert empty retail premises, takeaways and betting shops into homes. The government will also invest £13.5m for a “super squad” of planners to unblock specific projects – starting with the development of a new urban quarter in Cambridge, with space for homes, art facilities, laboratories and green areas.

Sunak added that he is confident his party will meet its manifesto pledge to build a million homes before the next election. 

The National Housing Federation, which represents housing associations, has labelled Gove’s policies “a positive start”. Though the Local Government Association has warned that spaces like shops and offices are not always suitable for conversion and could result in the creation of poor quality homes.

These fresh proposals come amid recent estimates that a child born in England this year has a less than one in three chance of owning a home by the time they’re 50. Meanwhile, the waiting list for social housing has topped 1.2 million households. 

Building more homes is vital, as Gove recognises. Back in May, he gave an interview to the Sun in which he pledged to youngsters: “I will never screw you over to appease NIMBY MPs”.

Yet the Conservative party remains bitterly divided over planning reform. 

Back in December, Sunak was forced to abandon plans to introduce legally binding housebuilding targets – of 300,000 new homes a year – to see off a backbench rebellion. 

The Tory MPs rebelling are generally those from leafy, traditionally Conservative-voting parts of the country, fearful of losing their seats. And understandably so: the thumping Tory loss at the Chesham and Amersham by-election was largely put down to local anger at government plans to loosen planning restrictions. 

A new focus on urban areas seems to be Sunak and Gove’s attempt to balance these tensions. But it may not be enough to see off backbench rebellions. 

Already today, Anthony Browne, the Conservative MP for South Cambridgeshire, has declared: “I will do everything I can to stop the government’s nonsense plans to impose mass housebuilding on Cambridge.”

According to Browne, all major developments in the area are “blocked by the Environment Agency” because “our streams, rivers and ponds already run dry.”

The government looks set to walk the difficult election tightrope – of helping voters get on the property leader while avoiding the ire of its own MPs – for some time to come.

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