Full Steam Ahead to Fast-Track More Homes Near Stations
- Thousands of quality homes to be built closer to stations, cutting commute times and helping families live closer to work, school and transport
- New planning rules will fast-track building quality homes near transport hubs in England
- Part of the biggest rewrite of planning rules in over a decade to build homes faster, drive good growth, unlock investment, jobs and education opportunities
Thousands of new homes will be built around England’s train, tram and underground stations under new planning rules introduced today (Monday 17 August), helping families to live closer to work, schools and transport.
The common-sense changes will fast-track quality homes in well-connected areas, making better use of underdeveloped land around stations while creating jobs, unlocking investment, driving growth and connecting communities. This builds on the priorities set out by the government to ensure that planning decisions give proper consideration to the proximity of public transport links.
Under the government’s new National Planning Policy Framework, there will be a default ‘yes’ for homes within reasonable walking distance of well-connected stations, alongside new minimum expectations for how much housing should be built in these areas. It will also prevent excessive gold-plating where there are clear national standards already in place.
It comes as the government passes the quarter-way mark towards its stretching target of 1.5 million homes and goes further to get developments that meet clear standards moving quickly from plans on paper to spades in the ground.
Nathan Emerson, CEO of Propertymark, comments:
“It’s positive news that the UK Government’s National Planning Policy Framework will include provision to improve communities’ access to public transport.
“People consistently prioritise well-developed local infrastructure when deciding where to live. However, all proposals must be carefully scrutinised to ensure individual developments form part of a coherent wider picture, rather than creating small, isolated communities that may not work in harmony with one another.”
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