Michael Gove claims authorities’s 300,000 housebuilding goal was all the time elective

Michael Gove has claimed the federal government’s goal of constructing 300,000 houses a 12 months was all the time elective – however insisted that the Tories will nonetheless meet it.

In a speech in London, the housing secretary stated the goal, set in 2017 by the then chancellor Philip Hammond, had “never” been obligatory.

But he pledged to fulfill the ambition by the center of the last decade with intensive constructing in cities, as he unveiled plans that will make it simpler to transform empty retail premises into flats, in addition to a push to increase Cambridge.

It comes after The Independent revealed that almost all of councils had didn’t construct a single social dwelling previously 5 years, as 1.2 million households languish on ready lists.

Housing charities described Mr Gove’s plan as a “mixed bag” and warned that stuffing individuals into unsuitable transformed lodging might make the housing disaster worse.

And Conservative MPs – a few of whom are in opposition to new housing of their areas – seized on the housing secretary’s plan for an city extension of Cambridge and vowed to battle it.

In a speech in King’s Cross, Mr Gove stated the federal government could be “unequivocally, unapologetically and intensively concentrating our biggest efforts in the hearts of our cities”.

“We haven’t dropped the 300,000 target,” he stated. “It’s a conclusion that people have drawn erroneously, if I can put it politely.”

Asked about stories that ministers are altering the goal in order that it’s not obligatory, he stated: “It never was. The 300,000 target remains as it always has been.”

Mr Gove nevertheless conceded that the federal government was making “specific changes” to the National Planning Policy Framework that will alter the way in which the native plans are drawn up.

Under these modifications, the way in which the nationwide ambition for 300,000 houses is translated into native housing targets would give particular person councils extra room for manoeuvre. Critics say it is going to lead to fewer houses being constructed.

A report by the Commons housing committee printed earlier this month stated these plans would make it “impossible to achieve” the 300,000 ambition nationally.

But Mr Gove on Monday stated he was “confident we’re on a trajectory to reach that 300,000 target”.

The housing secretary additionally used his speech to accuse Labour of eager to concrete over the countryside after the opposition introduced earlier this 12 months that it needed to construct extra housing on green-belt land.

The housing secretary stated the opposition’s strategy to planning would result in “erosion of environmental assets,” “communities opposing development”, and that it will not present “the scale of growth that we need”.

But shadow housing secretary Lisa Nandy stated: “It takes some serious brass neck for the Tories to make yet more promises when the housing crisis has gone from bad to worse on their watch.”

Quizzing the federal government within the House of Lords, Labour’s Baroness Taylor mocked the coverage, telling friends: “With over a million people on social housing waiting lists, and 7,000 social rented homes built last year, does the minister really think a few flats built over chip shops is going to solve the problem? My Lords, it’s like putting a sticking plaster on a severed limb.”

Previous makes an attempt by the federal government since 2010 to gentle a fireplace underneath housebuilding have met opposition from contained in the Conservative Party, and Gove faces an uphill battle to get his plans by way of.

Ahead of the speech, South Cambridgeshire MP Anthony Browne stated he would “do everything I can to stop the government’s nonsense plans to impose mass housebuilding on Cambridge”. He stated the realm was already affected by a water scarcity which additional improvement might make worse.

Asked concerning the MP’s feedback Mr Gove replied: “I’m sure we’ll find a compelling way forward. We can’t have Cambridge – an exceptional city – being held back.”

Polly Neate, chief government of the housing charity Shelter, described the speech as “a real mixed bag”.

“We need proper investment to build much-needed genuinely affordable homes, not more piecemeal reform,” she stated.

“Converting takeaways and outlets into houses and limiting constructing to metropolis centres received’t assist. It might danger creating poor high quality, unsafe houses that trigger extra hurt than good.

“When we are losing more social housing than we build, the government must work with councils to deliver the quality homes local communities across the country need. The secretary of state clearly agrees these homes are essential, so the government should put its money where its mouth is and get on with building a new generation of social homes.”

Stewart Baseley, the manager chair of the Home Builders Federation, stated: “Whilst welcoming the recognition from government that it needs to act if we are to build more homes, the proposals do little to address the major reasons why housing supply is falling.

“The government needs to focus on why the planning process is collapsing and reverse the proposals to weaken the planning system that have now seen 59 local authorities withdraw their housing plans.”

Speaking throughout a go to to the West Midlands on Monday, Rishi Sunak stated the federal government was “making good progress” in direction of the 300,000 goal.

“Actually, if you look at what has happened over the past few years, we have seen some of the biggest years for new housing supply that we’ve seen in decades and in the last year that we have figures for, the highest number of first-time buyers in over 20 years,” he stated.

“We are making progress, I’m proud of that progress, and we’re not stopping there. But we’ve got to do it in the right way, I don’t want to concrete over the countryside, that’s something that is very special about Britain.

“I also don’t want to ride roughshod over the views of communities and their representatives. We want to build in the right places – that’s more brownfield, expanding upwards and outwards, densifying our inner cities.

“These are practical ways to continue delivering homes. Our record on this is fantastic, 2.2 million homes since 2010, but we’re not stopping there.”