CUMBRIA is set for some of the largest increases in housing targets under the Government’s new methodology.
For Cumberland Council, the annual starts target increases from 224 to 1,217 while for Westmorland and Furness, it rises from 227 to 1,430.
It follows after the Deputy Prime Minister unveiled plans to overhaul the current planning framework with hopes of delivering Labour’s promise of building 1.5m homes over the next five years.
Angela Rayner’s overhaul of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) will see the reversing of the previous Conservative government's removal of mandatory housing targets.
The move followed evidence suggesting the changes had adversely affected the provision of housing, with projections showing the former Tory policies would lead to the construction of fewer than 200,000 new homes in 2024-25, short of the annual 300,000 properties goal.
She advocates a positive stance on brownfield development and encourages increased housebuilding in urban centres.
Noting the lack of sufficient brownfield land to address housing needs, the government will permit the targeted use of grey belt land, such as disused petrol stations and car parks, located within the green belt.
However, any release of green belt land will operate under "golden rules", ensuring the resulting development comprises 50 per cent affordable homes focused on social rent and comes with ready access to green spaces and essential infrastructures like schools and GP surgeries.
Carlisle’s new Labour MP Julie Minns believes these targets are attainable.
She said: “I fully support the Government’s plans because we are crying out for affordable housing.
“We have to build affordable homes so that young people aren’t forced to move away and to enable more young families to come here.
“We need people to come because our working-age population is shrinking. If we can’t provide housing, it will hamper our ability to grow and prosper.
“The Government’s targets are ambitious but they are realistic. In Carlisle, for example, St Cuthbert’s Garden Village should deliver 9,500 new homes.”
“This isn’t just about building houses.
"They must be affordable and accompanied by infrastructure improvements such as better public transport and health services. That is a priority for the new Labour government," she said.
Commenting on this policy change, Tom Adams, newly-elected chair of Carlisle Green Party, said: "There is much to be welcomed in the government’s plans to build more houses.
"For example, giving councils flexibility to use their receipts to build and buy more social homes, putting necessary infrastructure in place, such as schools and GP surgeries, and placing an emphasis on strategic planning.
“This has been missing in Carlisle and District’s local plan which has been, at best, piecemeal.
“For example in Brampton, where I live, one housing developer was not aware of another’s plans for homes in the area and planning applications for two large housing estates made no reference to each other,” he said.
Yet Mr Adams criticised the new policies for missing opportunities and providing insufficient funding to back them up, expressing concerns over the proposed 'grey belt' and its potential to foster “urban sprawl”, threatening green spaces.
“What protections will there be for our green spaces, which have already seen the UK described as one of the most nature-depleted countries in Europe?
“Greens are pressing for local authorities to spread small developments across their areas, where appropriate, rather than building huge new estates, the like of which we are already seeing in and around Carlisle.”
He argued for boosting Biodiversity Net Gain to 20 per cent to revive wildlife growth and noted a lack of clear policy stipulations for building eco-friendly homes, crucial to achieving net-zero targets.
“And what about nutrient neutrality? There is still no decision from Natural England on this vital issue.
"If the requirement is relaxed, then this could mean unfettered housing estates releasing further pollution into the Eden basin,” he said.
"In short, the government needs to dig deeper, be more imaginative and place the needs of wildlife higher on the agenda."
The opinions on housing issues are not just political, however.
Nutrient pollution restrictions are holding up 3,500 new homes from being built across Cumbria, according to a Penrith-based homebuilder, Genesis Homes.
Natural England has put the rivers Eden, Derwent and Bassenthwaite - and the River Kent in South Cumbria - on the protected list, meaning all new developments in these catchments need to evidence nutrient neutrality prior to commencement.
Speaking previously on the issue, Genesis Homes says it has 300 homes over three developments within Carlisle held up as a direct result of these measures, as well as numerous other potential sites that it is no longer progressing.
John Blue, the land and sales director at Genesis Homes, said homebuilders are now seriously considering 'pulling the plug' on any planned development in areas impacted by the restrictions.
“The UK is experiencing one of its worst housing crises in history and these restrictions are only adding to the problem.
“Natural England and the Government really need to address this restrictive and prohibitive legislation to allow more new homes to be built and breathe life into our local communities."
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