A positive piece from Knight Frank on planning and the living sector in London

Whilst there are clearly some large obstacles to this government achieving their housing targets, both developer and investor sentiment seems overwhelmingly positive about the changes being made, which are designed, as always, to “simplify” the planning process. Developers and investors know where they stand with mandatory housing targets and a simplified tilted balance, even if they’re still getting their heads around grey-belt! Limiting the number of applications to be determined by planning committee will also prove popular. 

There may be more on the way, as The Sunday Times this weekend reported that Rachel Reeves “is preparing to strip back environmental protections in an effort to boost the economy by speeding up infrastructure projects”, and that the Government “has begun preparing for another planning reform bill”. Whilst obviously controversial with conservation groups, larger projects have found it nearly impossible to prove there was no risk to protected species. Some scaling back of these protections will certainly be welcomed by developers and investors alike.

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