It comes as the Housing Secretary struggles to hit her target of delivering 1.5 million new homes by the end of the parliamentary term.
Angela Rayner has confirmed the move (Image: Getty)
Angela Rayner has relaxed restrictions to make it easier to build new homes in back gardens. The Housing Secretary has confirmed the changes, which come as part of a wider overhaul to England’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), allowing developers to override limits on the size and appearance of homes built on garden plots.
The move comes as the Labour Government continues to struggle to hit its target of delivering 1.5 million new homes by the end of the parliamentary term. The UK needs to build an average of 300,000 homes per year to reach the goal but data shows annual completions recently dropped to around 143,000. However, critics have slammed the move to relax building restrictions, warning it could result in a surge in suburban “garden grabbing”.
As reported by The Telegraph, the new guidelines will allow developers to overrule size and appearance restrictions on homes built in private gardens. For example, the limits can be challenged where it is “appropriate to have large buildings”, such as street corners, as well as areas where the development “would not be visible from the street frontage”.
Previous rules stated new buidlings could not occupy more than twice the footprint of the site’s existing buildings and half of the plot had to remain unbuilt. However, developers can now bypass these restrictions if it’s determined their project will not harm the area’s overall character.
The new guidelines also state that garden builds do not have to stay consistent with the overall street layout if they are located in buildings on street corners or set back from the street frontage. It will also be much easier to build taller blocks and extend existing properties upwards.
The government is struggling to hit its target of building 1.5 million homes before 2030. (Image: Getty)
However, the changes do not bypass the legal application process to build properties. Developers are still required to submit a full planning application to their local council before building a separate residential home in a garden.
Sir James Cleverly, the shadow housing secretary, has criticised the move, explaining: “Labour have doubled down on their all-out assault on the green belt, and now they are returning to garden grabbing.
“Blocks of flats are set to be crammed into the suburbs, eating up green space and fundamentally altering the character of local communities.
“Andy Burnham and Angela Rayner talk about devolution, but their top-down approach to development will mean local councils are overruled by Whitehall and local residents are ignored.
James Cleverly has criticised the move (Image: Getty)
“Britain needs more family homes with gardens, not fewer. The Conservatives are the only party that will deliver the homes we need while respecting local democracy.”
A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “We have made changes which recognise that in many places, there is potential for more development, to support thriving neighbourhoods, improve access to jobs and services, and make the best use of land within our towns and cities.
“Our changes will help more homes to be built where they are needed, while stopping unsuitable development. Local people will still be able to have their say, and councils must take those views into account.”