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<p>The Coalition Government has kick-started house building, taken a series of initiatives
to get stalled sites building, and reformed the planning system to help deliver more
homes and increase local decision making. In the last twelve months to Q2 2014, a
total of 230,000 permissions were given for new homes across England (estimates based
on Glenigan data for all sites).</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><em>Falling number
of stalled sites</em></p><p>As has been repeatedly explained to the rt. hon. Member
in previous answers on this topic, the number of dwellings with planning permission
that are classified as “on hold or shelved” has steadily fallen thanks to the action
this Government is taking. This is illustrated in the table below.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><em>Snapshot
as of:</em></p></td><td><p><em>On hold/shelved</em></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>January
2011</p></td><td><p>79,604</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>July 2011</p></td><td><p>82,557</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>September
2011</p></td><td><p>90,331</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>December 2011</p></td><td><p>87,081</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>March
2012</p></td><td><p>81,502</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>June 2012</p></td><td><p>75,534</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>September
2012</p></td><td><p>70,495</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>January 2013</p></td><td><p>64,394</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>April
2013</p></td><td><p>61,476</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>June 2013</p></td><td><p>60,493</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>October
2013</p></td><td><p>59,249</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>January 2014</p></td><td><p>55,847</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>February
2014</p></td><td><p>54,086</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>March 2014</p></td><td><p>53,376</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>April
2014</p></td><td><p>51,284</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>June 2014</p></td><td><p>50,050</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>September
2014</p></td><td><p>48,000</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><sub>Note: Based on estimates
from Glenigan for sites with unimplemented permissions in England. Dwellings on sites
with 10 units or more; excludes sites which have been sold, were due to be sold, or
else information not available. This data comes from a live database that is constantly
revised, and as result figures for a given month can fluctuate slightly. </sub><sub>September
2014 rounded to the nearest thousand.</sub></p><p> </p><p> </p><p><em>Rising number
of starts and near-starts</em></p><p>As of 1 September 2014, a further 267,000 units
had started on site. In addition, the number of dwellings with planning permission
that are moving towards a start has steadily increased, both due to the action we
have taken to tackle stalled sites, but also crucially due to the underlying increase
in the number of homes being granted planning permission.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><em>Snapshot
as of:</em></p></td><td><p><em>Progressing towards start</em></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>January
2011</p></td><td><p>113,566</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>July 2011</p></td><td><p>153,379</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>September
2011</p></td><td><p>153,543</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>December 2011</p></td><td><p>132,633</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>March
2012</p></td><td><p>136,686</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>June 2012</p></td><td><p>141,044</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>September
2012</p></td><td><p>166,105</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>January 2013</p></td><td><p>176,246</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>April
2013</p></td><td><p>184,987</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>June 2013</p></td><td><p>189,882</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>October
2013</p></td><td><p>183,650</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>January 2014</p></td><td><p>202,912</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>February
2014</p></td><td><p>194,681</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>March 2014</p></td><td><p>203,098</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>April
2014</p></td><td><p>197,288</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>June 2014</p></td><td><p>226,328</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>September
2014</p></td><td><p>244,000</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><sub>Note: Methodology
as per table above. September 2014 figure rounded to the nearest thousand.</sub></p><p>A
rising number of homes progressing towards a start is a positive indicator of increasing
housing construction. Contrary to the incorrect claims of the Labour Party, it is
not a measure of “land banking” nor is it “houses where nothing is happening”, rather
it is a reflection of the detailed work being undertaken, red tape being navigated
and finance being raised in order to turn a council planning permission into a construction
site.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><em>Action to kick-start house building</em></p><p>Steps
we have or are taking to get stalled sites moving include:</p><p> </p><p>· Introducing
measures in the Infrastructure Bill to reduce bureaucracy on implementing planning
conditions after planning permission has been granted.</p><p> </p><p>· Implementing
the recommendations of the Penfold Review to consolidate the overlapping and confusing
regime of non-planning consents, on top of planning permission.</p><p> </p><p>· Allowing
developers to review economically unrealistic Section 106 agreements, through the
Growth and Infrastructure Act. Such unrealistic agreements result in no development,
no regeneration and no community benefits: a sensible review can result in more housing
and more affordable housing.</p><p> </p><p>· Ending the temporary measure (introduced
by the last Administration) which allowed developers to roll forward their planning
permissions; this ending of the measure has now increased the incentive for developers
to start on site before their permission expires.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Investment
we have provided includes:</p><p> </p><p>· The Get Britain Building investment fund,
providing over £500 million of finance which has so far helped start over 12,000 new
homes on stalled sites.</p><p> </p><p>· The Growing Places Fund is providing £730
million to deliver the infrastructure needed to unlock stalled schemes that will promote
economic growth, create jobs and build homes. This is supporting approximately 70,000
new housing units, as well as significant amounts of extra commercial and industrial
floor space.</p><p><br>· The £474 million Local Infrastructure Fund investment fund
is supporting the delivery of upfront infrastructure for locally-supported, large-scale
housing sites and commercial development; it also provides capacity funding and brokerage
support to local authorities to help them progress major schemes through the planning
process. Nearly 90,000 homes have been unlocked, so far.</p><p><br>· The £3 million
Site Delivery Fund is being made available to 66 local planning authorities to accelerate
starts on site</p><p><br>· The £525 million Builders' Finance Fund is assisting small
and medium-sized developers to access finance to support the delivery of housing schemes
of between 15 and 250 units, helping kick-start stalled sites and deliver around 15,000
units over four years.</p><p><br>· Growth Deals with 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships
are providing £6 billion of funding over six years (including over £3 billion for
projects starting in 2015-16), all with substantial implications for house building.
Over the lifetime of Growth Deals (six years), it is estimated the investment will
unlock the land or finance for more than 150,000 homes, just from the projects that
will start next year in 2015-16.</p><p><br>- In addition, we are taking forward a
comprehensive programme to sell surplus and redundant public sector land and property,
freeing up taxpayers’ money and providing land for new homes.</p><p><br><br></p><p>
</p><p>Taken together, these indicators show that the Government’s long-term economic
plan is working and turning around the mess and recession left by the last Labour
Government. Moth-balled sites are springing into action; more homes are being planned;
and more homes are being built out.</p><p> </p><p>However, the policy solutions now
being advocated by HM Opposition would actually have an adverse effect in reducing
house building. If developers fear new development taxes or state confiscation of
land, they will be less willing to undertake complex land assembly projects; they
will let their existing planning permissions lapse; and they will simply be more cautious
in applying for planning permission in the first place. The result would be a slower
planning system and fewer new homes.</p><p> </p>
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