Tories hail U-turn on ‘mutant algorithm’ that sparked fears of planning free-for-all in the shires as Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick says shift WON’T wreck target of building 300,000 new homes a year
- Theresa May and Jeremy Hunt led the revolt against the planning algorithm
- Housing Secretary announced algorithm had been tweaked to include the North
- Conservative MPs have criticised the plans and said it left out urban areas
Tories today hailed a U-turn on a ‘mutant algorithm’ that could have sparked a planning free-for-all in the shires – as Robert Jenrick insisted the shift will not wreck the government’s home-building target.
The Housing Secretary confirmed that the methodology being used by councils to draw up local plans is being ‘updated’ following a furious backlash.
He said the new mechanism would reflect the need to direct more development to brownfield sites in the North and Midlands.
But he stressed that the ‘very clear commitment’ of constructing 300,000 new homes a year will not be changed.
Conservatives have hailed the volte face on the ‘notorious’ algorithm, which was designed to work out how many homes were needed in different parts of the country but came under fire from Theresa May and Jeremy Hunt among others.
Former Cabinet minister and Ashford MP Damian Green said: ‘Delighted that the Government has listened and changed the notorious housing algorithm.’
Theresa May (left) and Jeremy Hunt (right) led a revolt against the algorithm, which worked out how many homes were needed in different parts of the country to meet a national target of 300,000 a year
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick confirmed that the methodology being used by councils to draw up local plans is being ‘updated’ following a furious backlash
Conservative MPs had condemned the previous proposals because they targeted rural districts rather than the urban areas where new homes are desperately needed.
Under the updated proposals, cities will be encouraged to plan for more family homes and to make the most of vacant buildings and under-used land to protect green spaces.
The plans will encourage more homes to be built in England’s 20 largest cities and urban centres, boosting local economies by supporting jobs in the building sector, and revitalising high streets with the footfall new residents bring.
The Housing Secretary also intends to revise the so-called 80/20 rule, which guides how much funding is available to local areas to help build homes.
This will establish a principle to ensure funding is not concentrated in London and the South East.
Mr Jenrick told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘We have made a very clear commitment to build a million homes over the course of this parliament and to get housebuilding in this country up to 300,000 (a year).
“People understandably wanted more homes to be built in urban areas on brownfield land first to protect the countryside because that is where the transport infrastructure is – the jobs and opportunities – and it is the most environmentally sustainable way to build.
“Secondly, they wanted to try to use housing to the extent that you can to push private sector investment into the cities of the Midlands and the North as part of our commitment to levelling up.
“That is what we have done in this update to the methodology. We are going to provide them with more resources for regeneration and brownfield land remediation.”
Tory MP Bob Seely said: ‘It’s very good news that more homes are planned for northern cities, many of which have suffered population declines in the past 50 years – especially as locations such as my constituency of the Isle of Wight have increased our populations significantly and at, frankly, an unsustainable rate.’
Former Cabinet minister and Ashford MP Damian Green was among the Tories hailing the U-turn today
The controversial algorithm was contained in a housing White Paper published earlier this year.
It took into account factors such as projected local population growth and the affordability of homes to produce local housing targets.
Districts could then decide where the new homes would be situated.
Mr Jenrick said: ‘This Government wants to build more homes as a matter of social justice, for intergenerational fairness and to create jobs for working people.
‘We are reforming our planning system to ensure it is simpler and more certain without compromising standards of design, quality and environmental protection.
‘The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated and magnified patterns that already existed, creating a generational opportunity for the repurposing of offices and retail as housing and for urban renewal.
‘We want this to be an opportunity for a new trajectory for our major cities – one which helps to forge a new country beyond Covid – which is more beautiful, healthier, more prosperous, more neighbourly and where more people have the security and dignity of a home of their own.’