Select committee: Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation 12
3rd Report - Delivering 1.5 million new homes: Land Value Capture
Published 28 Oct 2025
Addressed to Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee Delivering 1.5 million new homes: Land Value Capture All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
As part of its ongoing review of the viability planning practice guidance, the Government must consider how different types of developer contribution could be re-negotiated following a viability assessment, to protect affordable housing contributions. The Government must also update national policy to encourage all local authorities to set a minimum percentage target for affordable housing in their Local Plan for all major developments that include housing. This figure should be based on a local need assessment for affordable housing in each local authority, with particular regard for the local need for Social Rent homes. Local authorities should be encouraged to offer a ‘fast-track route’ for developments which meet the local affordable housing target, by making those developments exempt from detailed viability assessments and re-assessments later in the development process. This would encourage developments with a high percentage of affordable housing and speed up the delivery of housing of all tenures. (Recommendation, Paragraph 71)
From: Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, 3rd Report - Delivering 1.5 million new homes: Land Value Capture (HC 672), 28 October 2025
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 20 March 2026 (deadline 28 December 2025).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government welcomes the Committee's inquiry and says it "recognises there is more to do" on developer contributions, accepting some recommendations, noting or not pursuing others, and pointing to its NPPF consultation and wider reforms.
- On Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) coverage, the government "has agreed to the Committee's recommendation and commits to publishing a map of CIL coverage in England", but intends to do so without accompanying information on rates.
- On funded Level 7 planning apprenticeships, the government "notes" the recommendation and considers that funding apprenticeship routes alone "does not guarantee" learners will work in or remain in local planning authorities. It points instead to its Planning Capacity and Capability Programme.
- On planning fees, it does "not consider it appropriate to fund local plan-making through planning application fees". On a statutory Section 106 dispute resolution scheme, it does not intend to implement the 2016 Act provisions "at this time" but "will keep this under review".
- On land value estimates, the government is developing updated estimates and says "the aim is to publish updated values for a range of land uses this year".