Lord Wolfson says current rules put too much power “in the hands of the people who already have it”. Photo: Next Plc
Homeowners should have less power to challenge new housing development, fellow Conservative Lord Wolfson has said.
Next's chief executive has called on ministers to overhaul Britain's planning system so homeowners have less power to block new build.
Speaking at an event at the London School of Economics and Political Science on Tuesday, Lord Wolfson said: “When you buy a house with a view, you are not buying a view. All the land around your house is not yours.”
He said that while homeowners have the right to stop development nearby that threatens the value of their property, they should not be able to control everything that happens around them. areas.
Lord Wolfson said the current rules put too much power «in the hands of the people who already have it».
The UK's outdated planning system is widely blamed for holding back housing production in recent years, with a backlog of There are 4.3 million homes under construction.
Due to supply shortages, homes are becoming increasingly unaffordable. .
Paul Cheshire, emeritus professor of economic geography at the London School of Economics and a former government adviser, warned that housing shortages and planning delays were dragging down the overall economy by preventing people from moving for work and making it harder to do business.
< p>Lord Wolfson said planning delays were not only affecting the housing market but were also creating a problem for Next.
The retailer faces delays of up to four years in obtaining planning permission for warehouses, which in turn increases costs.
In general, planning costs account for 10% of the bill for any new construction, he said. — he said. said it was creating a vicious circle.
He said: “All of this spending results in worse houses, worse shops, worse offices and poor infrastructure.”
“People [then] start counting that new buildings are actually bad and so we need more planning to stop it.»
Lord Wolfson said that «the whole system needs to be reset» if we want to build more homes, which includes includes cost reduction. for residential land.
He said: “In the small village I live in near Milton Keynes, an acre of farmland costs about £15,000. An acre of land with planning permission would cost around £1.5 million.
“That's where all the money goes, all the money that could be invested in better quality homes. All this money is absorbed by the earth.”
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