Jane Hunt MP asked:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of suspending the five-year housing land supply for 12 months due to the effect that the covid-19 outbreak has had on (a) new build starts and (b) the ability of local planning authorities to meet that supply.
The Rt Hon Christopher Pincher MP, Minister of State, responded:
I note the concerns you raise regarding demonstrating a 5 year land supply under current circumstances. However, it is important to keep the planning system moving to enable it to play its full part in the economic recovery to come and we will continue to monitor the situation.
As the Prime Minister set out on 30 June, home building will play an important role in kick-starting economic recovery across the United Kingdom. The Government announced a package of measures to support this recovery, including strong investment in infrastructure and support for smaller developers to boost the construction industry and speed up rebuilding.
In addition, the Business and Planning Act 2020, will support local authorities in delivering new housing, through measures such as allowing more flexible working hours on construction sites, to ensure that work can continue on sites whilst workers adhere to safe working practices, and extending the duration of certain planning permissions (and listed building consents) to ensure that they don’t lapse unnecessarily as a result of disruption caused by COVID-19.
