Recommendation 162

We are concerned about the quality of homes delivered under the permitted development rights regime for conversions from office to residential properties. The Government has recently taken steps to impose minimum standards for conversions. If these steps do not lead to improved outcomes, the Government should not hesitate to introduce stricter rules. 189 Dame Kate Barker, Review of Housing Supply: Securing our Future Housing Needs: Interim Report – Analysis (December 2003): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared /spl/hi/uk/03/budget/documents/pdf/barker_review_foretoch3_396 .pdf [accessed 25 November 2021] 190 Economic Affairs Committee, Building more homes (1st Report, Session 2016–17, HL Paper 20) and Housing and Communities and Local Government Committee, The future of the planning system in England (First Report, Session 21-22, HC 38) 191 Department for Communities and Local Government, ‘National Planning Policy Framework’ (27 March 2012): https://www.gov.uk /guidance/national-planning-policy-framework [accessed 24 November 2021] 192 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Policy paper: Fixing our broken housing market (7 February 2021): https://www.gov .uk/government/publications/fixing-our-broken-housing-market [accessed 24 November 2021] 193 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, White pater: Planning for the future ( August 2020): https://assets .publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data /file/958420/MHCLG-Planning-Consultation.pdf [accessed 29 November 2021] and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Closed consultation overview: Planning for the future (4 February 2021) https://www.gov.uk /government/consultations/planning-for-the-future [accessed 24 November 2021]. 194 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, ‘Councils urged to ensure Local Plans are up to date’ (19 January 2021): https://www.gov.uk/government/news/councils -urged-to-ensure-local-plans-are-up-to-date [accessed 24 November 2021] 195 Written evidence from CPRE the countryside charity ( UKH0029 ) and the Countryside Charity, ‘Planning under fire as our new research shows issues with local plans’ (20 May 2020): https://www.cpre.org.uk/about-us/cpre-media /only-third-councils-have-up-to-date-local-plan/ [accessed 24 November 2021] 196 Written evidence from Chartered Planners in Academic Practice Group ( UKH0062 ) 197 Including Q 73 (Grant Butterworth), written evidence from the CPRE Countryside Charity ( UKH0029 ), Royal Town Planning Institute ( UKH0094 ), and UK2070 Commission ( UKH0075 ) 198 Written evidence from Lifestory Group ( UKH0021 ) and Barratt Developments ( UKH0099 ) 199 Written evidence from Cornwall Council ( UKH0063 ) 200 Q 95 (Rt Hon. Christopher Pincher MP) 201 Written evidence from the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research ( UKH0028 ) 202 Written evidence from Savills ( UKH0080 ) 203 Q 42 (Victoria Hills) 204 Written evidence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government ( UKH0042 ) 205 Housing Today, ‘Gove says government will legislate for ‘street votes’’ (30 November 2021): https://www.housingtoday.co.uk/news/gove-says- government-will-legislate-for-street-votes/5114990.article [accessed 16 December 2021] 206 Written evidence from the Royal Institute of British Architects ( UKH0053 ) 207 Written evidence from the Centre for Ageing Better ( UKH0051 ) 208 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, White paper: Planning for the future 209 Written evidence from Professor Flora Samuel, University of Reading, and the Quality of Life Foundation ( UKH0025 ) 210 Q 99 (Rt Hon. Christopher Pincher MP) 211 Final Report to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government , Impacts of Neighbourhood Planning in England (May 2020): https://assets.publishing.service. gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/929422/ Impacts_of_Neighbourhood_Planning_in_England.pdf [accessed 25 November 2021] 212 Q 68 (Pooja Agrawal) 213 Q 68 (Grant Butterworth) 214 Q 40 (Victoria Hills) 215 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, The Incidence, Value and Delivery of Planning Obligations and Community Infrastructure Levy in England in 2018–19 (August 2020): https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/ system/uploads/attachment_data/file/907203/The_Value_and_Incidence_ of_Developer_Contributions_in_England_201819.pdf [accessed 25 November 2021] 216 This table represents a sample set of Community Infrastructure Levy rates by local authority. It is the Committee’s own analysis of selected authorities to illustrate a range of charges across the country. For the full data on each local authority and their Community Infrastructure Levy status. 217 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, The Incidence, Value and Delivery of Planning Obligations and Community Infrastructure Levy in England in 2018–19 and written evidence from the Chartered Planners in Academic Practice Group ( UKH0062 ). 218 Written evidence from the Chartered Planners in Academic Practice Group ( UKH0062 ) 219 Written evidence from the Local Government Association to the House of Commons Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee ( FPS056 ) 220 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, The Incidence, Value and Delivery of Planning Obligations and Community Infrastructure Levy in England in 2018–19 221 Ibid. 222 Ibid. 223 Written evidence from Federation of Master Builders ( UKH0058 ) 224 Written evidence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government ( UKH0042 ) 225 Q 96 (Rt Hon. Christopher Pincher MP) 226 See Q 73 (Brian Berry), Q 38 (David Bainbridge) and Q 37 (Victoria Hills). 227 Q 96 (Rt Hon. Christopher Pincher MP) 228 Written evidence from Lancashire County Council ( UKH0108 ) 229 Affordable Housing Commission, The Planning White Paper and affordable housing: The views of social landlords (November 2020): https:// nationwidefoundation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Planning-white-paper- and-affordable-housing-surveyfinal-1.pdf [accessed 25 November] 230 Written evidence from Optivo ( UKH0068 ) 231 Q 37 (Jonathan Manns) 232 Dame Kate Barker, Review of Housing Supply: Securing our Future Housing Needs: Interim Report – Analysis (2003): http://news.bbc.co. uk/1/shared/spl/hi/uk/03/budget/documents/pdf/ barker_review_foretoch3_396.pdf [accessed 22/12/2021], also Dame Kate Barker, Barker Review of Land Use Planning Final Report - Recommendations (December 2006): https:// assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_ data/file/228605/0118404857.pdf [accessed 25 November] and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Independent review of build out: final report (29 October 2018): https://www.gov.uk/government/ publications/independent-review-of-build-out-final-report [accessed 25 November] 233 Economic Affairs Committee, Building more homes (1st Report, Session 2016–17, HL Paper 20) 234 Housing and Communities and Local Government Committee, The future of the planning system in England (First Report, Session 2021-22, HC 38) 235 Q 101 (Rt Hon. Christopher Pincher MP) 236 Written evidence from CPRE the countryside charity ( UKH0029 ) 237 Supplementary written evidence from the Department for Levelling Up, Communities and Local Government ( UKH0112 ) 238 Written evidence from Centre for Cities ( UKH0114 ). See for example: Barney Stringer, ‘Is the Green Belt sustainable?’ (17 June 2014): https://barneystringer.wordpress.com/2014/06/17/is-the-green-belt- sustainable/ and Professor Paul Cheshire, ‘Building on Greenbelt land: so where?’ (9 July 2014): http://spatial-economics.blogspot.co.uk /2014/07/building-on-greenbelt-land-so-where.html [accessed 25 November 2021]. 239 That is excluding building on National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) or any public recreational areas, for example. Centre for Cities, Homes on the right tracks Greening the Green Belt to solve the housing crisis (September 2019): https://www.centreforcities.org/wp-content/ uploads/2019/09/Homes-on-the-Right-Tracks-Greening-the-Green- Belt.pdf [accessed 25 November 2021] 240 RICS, Extending permitted development rights in England: the implications for public authorities and communities (May 2018): http://offlinehbpl.hbpl .co.uk/NewsAttachments/RLP/RICSExtendingPermittedDevelopmentRights.pdf [accessed 25 November 2021] 241 Q 68 (Cllr Dr Ed Turner) 242 Local Government Association, LGA - Over 13,500 affordable homes lost through office conversions (11 January 2020): https://www.local.gov.uk/about/news /lga-over-13500-affordable-homes-lost-through-office-conversions [accessed 25 November 2021] 243 Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, Inquiry: ‘Permitted Development Rights’: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/1131 /permitted-development-rights/ [accessed 29 November 2021] < Back Next > © Parliamentary copyright 2021 A-Z index Glossary Contact us Freedom of Information Jobs Using this website Copyright Privacy notice Cookie policy Cookie Manager House of Lords - Meeting housing demand - Built Environment Committee Accessibility Email alerts RSS feeds Contact us Home Parliamentary business MPs, Lords & offices About Parliament Get involved Visiting Education House of Commons House of Lords What's on Bills & legislation Committees Publications & records Parliament TV News Topics Meeting housing demand Contents Chapter 6: Local planning authorities