‘Accelerator’ taskforce launched to unlock 300,000 new homes

Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has announced the launch of a new expert group to speed up the delivery of 200 stalled housing sites.

The aim of the new “Homes Accelerator” is to unlock thousands of new homes in support of the Government’s plans to boost economic growth and deliver 1.5 million homes, helping to end the housing crisis.

Last month, King Charles echoed the Government’s ambitious housing target in the first State Opening of Parliament, restating Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ commitment to house building by introducing planning reform.

The Homes Accelerator comprises an experienced team from the Ministry of Housing and Homes England, working across government and local councils to accelerate the buildout of housing schemes delayed by planning.

The plan is to bring together government agencies, local planning departments and housebuilders, who will work to resolve specific local issues and deploy planning experts on the ground to work through blockages at each identified site. 

Early government analysis estimates there are 200 large sites across England which could deliver up to 300,000 new homes.

A call for evidence has been launched today calling upon landowners, local authorities and housebuilders to come forward with details of blocked sites with significant planning issues, to assess the scale of the problem and to tackle obstacles preventing the delivery of new homes. 

Rayner said: “For far too long the delivery of tens of thousands of new homes has been held back by a failure to make sure the development system is working as it should.  

“This government has a moral obligation to do everything within our power to build the homes that people desperately need and we won’t hesitate to intervene where we need to.  

“Our New Homes Accelerator will quickly identify blockages, fix problems and support local authorities and developers to get shovels in the ground.” 

The Home Builders Federation (HBF) welcomed the new expert group, previously arguing the current state of the planning system has ‘failed’ to provide the amount of land needed to address affordability pressures and lack of housing targets leading to plummeting housing supply.

David O’Leary, executive director of the HBF said: “The planning process and everything associated with it delivers too little land and has long been a significant constraint on house building. 

“Government has shown a welcome desire in the weeks since the election to address the problems.

“A lack of planning department capacity and misaligned incentives for other public bodies and statutory consultees has created a process with huge uncertainty. 

“This creates an abundance of risk resulting in longer development timescales and severe challenges in particular for small and medium-sized house builders. 

“Adopting a pragmatic approach to planning will increase the pace at which new homes are built and help to turn around ailing housing supply.”

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