Elimination of Permitted Development Rights Advocated Across Industries
Coalition Slams Government's Plans to Expand Permitted Development Rights
A coalition of 16 organisations, including the Local Government Association (LGA), Shelter, and the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), have launched a campaign against the government's plan to expand permitted development rights for housing. The groups are concerned that this expansion could lead to the loss of thousands of affordable homes and exacerbate the housing crisis in England.
The housing crisis in England is already dire, with over 270,000 people homeless and more than 1.2 million households on council house waiting lists. The coalition's concern stems from the fact that since 2013, developers have been able to convert office space into residential homes without going through the full local planning process. This has resulted in more than 10,000 affordable homes being lost in the last three years, according to research by the LGA and Shelter.
The quality of housing produced through permitted development rights is a significant concern. These homes are delivered with minimal scrutiny and outside of local authority control, often resulting in poor-quality homes with little access to essential amenities like schools, GPs, and playgrounds. A leading health charity, Medact, previously warned of the expansion of permitted development rights, claiming they could contribute to a decline in living standards by placing families in cramped conditions.
The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has also joined the campaign, warning that some homes created through permitted development rights are of poor quality. The RTPI argues that permitted development rights could financially hurt local authorities because they wouldn't be able to collect planning fees. The LGA has stated that permitted development rights need to be 'urgently revoked' due to a loss of funding from planning applications and Section 106 payments, making it difficult for local councils to oversee planning enforcement properly or address planning violations.
The coalition criticises permitted development rights for allowing developers to bypass local planning rules and avoid contributing to affordable housing. This is a requirement for other forms of developments, and the lack of contribution towards affordable housing through permitted development rights is a significant issue.
Several organisations, including the National Housing Federation, the Local Government Association, Shelter, and the Planning Officers Society, have been involved in an open letter to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities, and Local Government, criticising permitted development rights and calling for their reform. The coalition hopes that their efforts will lead to a reconsideration of the government's plans to expand permitted development rights for housing and a renewed focus on addressing the housing crisis in England.
