Propertymark has expressed support for the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government’s proposed ‘brownfield passport,’ which aims to expedite the approval of new housing proposals.
On 30th July 2024, the Ministry consulted on reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and published various papers to gather industry feedback on planning system reforms.
One paper discussed establishing clear parameters for development proposals on brownfield sites, which could reduce costs and time while increasing the certainty of planning approvals.
The proposed ‘brownfield passport’ would allow local councils to accept proposals more quickly, provided they meet the specified criteria.
Propertymark has raised concerns about the supply of new homes, affecting both purchase and rental prices, emphasising that changes to planning policy must lead to increased housing supply across all tenures to address the imbalance between demand and supply for homes.
The professional body stressed that planning proposals should consider local housing needs and infrastructure requirements, and that it was essential to allocate adequate time and resources to define the ‘brownfield passport’ parameters.
Additionally, Propertymark said planning policy should drive the construction of homes that meet the needs of local communities, thereby alleviating the housing crisis by building homes tailored to local demands.
Henry Griffith, policy and campaigns officer at Propertymark, said: “Propertymark supports the concept of a ‘brownfield passport’, especially if it helps speed up planning proposals and can ensure any new homes built reflect the needs of the local community.
“The housing crisis is an ongoing issue and planning proposals can get bogged down by local opposition to new homes, so this measure would go some way to ensure that local wishes are reflected in planning proposals, which will guarantee that any new homes built can be quickly occupied.
“When producing the brownfield passports, it is vitally important that local planning authorities spend sufficient time and resources to create specific parameters that would satisfy this need for local housing and larger infrastructure.”
