Housebuilding targets a 'challenge' - council leader

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has announced sweeping changes to England's planning system

A council leader has said government plans to increase housebuilding in England are a "new challenge" for the local authority.

More than 4,500 homes could be built each year across Northamptonshire under the new proposals.

The plans - out for consultation until September 2024 - would see a return to mandatory planning targets for councils.

Jason Smithers, Conservative leader of North Northamptonshire Council (NNC), said: "With the government’s support for infrastructure we can strive to achieve these new targets, creating sustainable communities people want to live and work within, whilst protecting and enhancing the environment."

The Conservative leader of North Northamptonshire Council, Jason Smithers, said the targets would be a "new challenge"

Councils will be set targets that must be met so the government can honour its pledge to build 1.5 million homes by the end of this Parliament, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

In Northamptonshire, this will mean local authorities will be bound to approve and build an extra 670 homes a year, on top of current housing goals.

A mandatory target of 4,648 new homes per year will introduced in the county.

For NNC, the current target of 1,856 new homes every year would be increased to 2,064 - an 11% increase.

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has the largest target out of the authorities, at 2,584 homes per year, up from 2,124 - a 21% increase.

Both councils fell below their original yearly housing targets between 2020/21 and 2022/23.

WNC missed its goal by fewer than ten houses, building 2,115 homes on average per year.

NNC built 1,784 homes, missing its target by about 70 homes.

Mr Smithers said: "For a number of years north Northamptonshire has been one of the fastest housing growing areas of the country.

"The council is in the early stages of preparing the North Northamptonshire Local Plan, which will identify growth to 2041."

The authority will discuss its response to the government’s consultation at a meeting in September.

Jo Savage, chief executive of Greatwell Homes, which runs social housing in north Northamptonshire, said there was a need for affordable housing.

"For every property we have that becomes vacant we have between 30-40 applicants," she said.