The Government has announced their New Homes Accelerator programme, which they hope will allow them deliver on their promise of 1.5 million homes.
The programme will involve gaining a team of experts in the housing market to help tackle the main issues preventing those looking at building a house.
We look at whether the scheme will actually help homebuilding or if this is just another false dawn for the homebuilding market.
What is the New Homes Accelerator?
The New Homes Accelerator aims to support local planning by providing resources to address capacity issues and ensuring timely planning decisions.
The initiative will involve experts collaborating with local councils and developers to address housing projects stalled in the planning process.
The team of experts will consist of members from the Ministry of Housing and Homes England, aiming to achieve the Government’s goal of constructing 1.5 million new homes.
'Our New Homes Accelerator will get shovels in the ground'
The announcement of the scheme was made by Angela Rayner who announced on X "Our New Homes Accelerator will get shovels in the ground".
The Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Minister also stated: “For far too long the delivery of tens of thousands of new homes has been held back by a failure to make sure the development system is working as it should.
“This government has a moral obligation to do everything within our power to build the homes that people desperately need and we won’t hesitate to intervene where we need to.
“Our New Homes Accelerator will quickly identify blockages, fix problems and support local authorities and developers to get shovels in the ground.”
Will the New Homes Accelerator speed up homebuilding?
The Government claims up to 300,000 new homes could be unlocked across 200 large sites identified throughout England using the New Homes Accelerator programme.
The Home Builders Federation and the Local Government Association have both expressed strong support for the measures.
David O’Leary, Executive Director of the Home Builders Federation, welcomed the plans, stating: "A lack of planning department capacity and misaligned incentives for other public bodies and statutory consultees has created a process with huge uncertainty. This creates an abundance of risk resulting in longer development timescales and severe challenges in particular for small and medium-sized house builders.
“Adopting a pragmatic approach to planning will increase the pace at which new homes are built and help to turn around ailing housing supply. The housing market is complex and we look forward to working with government to ensure that all aspects of the housing market are functioning more effectively.”
However, it remains to be seen whether the New Homes Accelerator programme will positively impact homebuilding.
