James McConnell MRTPI, of McConnell Planning, discusses the impact of the new government’s housebuilding target this year for developers, and how to navigate the planning process, with Christian Le Gouais, Head of Planning and Development at Har- old Benjamin. 1. What is the Labour government’s housebuilding target, and how does it affect landowners? The new Labour government has set a challenging housebuilding target of 1.5 million new homes during its maximum 5-year tenure. It has revised how local housing need is calculated, which significantly increases the level of housing that local authorities must plan for. Each authority is then required to produce a Lo- cal Plan to achieve the required levels of housing supply.
"It is important to negotiate the terms of any S106 legal agreement supporting the planning permission as
2. How can landowners promote their land for residential development?
If you have identified land that you consider could be suitable for residential development, it is important to maximise this opportunity by promoting the land through the Local Plan to be prepared by the relevant local authority. This should be done at the earliest stage possible. The process often begins with a ‘Call for Sites,’ where local authorities ask for details to be submitted of potential residential land- development opportunities.
early in the process as possible."
3. What steps should I take before submitting a planning application?
If you secure an allocation for residential development in the Local Plan and want to submit a planning application—or if you plan to make a speculative application for land not allocated—it is important to engage with the local authority on the proposed planning application before submission. All local authorities offer a pre-application planning advice service, which is a chargeable service
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THE LEGAL CORNER MAGAZINE | ISSUE 11 ARPIL '25 HB
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