Over 1,200 homes are planned to be built in the Cumberland Council area, but it is unclear where they will be built.

This comes as the central government announced changes to planning rules to allow for more buildings to be constructed, including its target of 1.5million new homes over the next five years nationwide.

Mandatory housing targets, previously scrapped by the Conservative government, will be reinstated, and some low-quality green belt land will be opened for construction under the new plans.

Changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) introduced by Rishi Sunak’s administration, which Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner claimed had reduced the housing supply, will be reversed.

Ms Rayner described her ‘radical plan’ to ‘get the homes we desperately need’, while also aiming to ‘drive growth, create jobs, and breathe life into towns and cities’.

 

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Her reforms will ensure that brownfield development is given priority and encourage higher-density housing in urban centres.

Recognising the insufficiency of brownfield land, the plan will permit the use of some green belt land, such as old petrol stations, provided they meet strict criteria, including a requirement for 50 per cent affordable housing.

Local councils will be mandated to have up-to-date housing plans, with the government stepping in if they fail to comply.

Additionally, Ms Rayner announced initiatives to enhance social and affordable housing, granting councils more flexibility to build and purchase homes.

The government also plans to invest in social housing, with further details expected in the autumn Spending Review.

READ MORE: Changes to planning 'positive' for Cumbria, Chamber says

Current revised plans show there are 1,212 homes in total planned for the Cumberland Council area, which covers Carlisle, Workington, Whitehaven, and Millom, according to data from the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government, while under the original proposal it was 244.

It is not clear yet where these will be built, but Darren Crosley, director of place, sustainable growth and transport at Cumberland Council said at an event last month commemorating one-year since the start of a major roadbuilding project linked to a housebuilding scheme known as St Cuthbert’s Garden Village, said: “We’ve heard very little so far – not surprising really because the headlines are out, but the details are to follow.”

He said the council has ‘good relations’ with the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG) and Homes England, making them ‘well placed to find out that detail if and when it arrives’.

A spokesperson from Cumberland Council said: “The Government has recently started a consultation on a number of changes to national planning policy.

“We are reviewing these proposals carefully and how we may wish to respond.”