Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is due to unveil sweeping changes to the planning system that could see councils forced to consider building on green belt land in England.
The Labour leader has vowed to override “blockers” standing in the way of building the new homes needed to solve the housing crisis.
But some locals in the areas where these houses will need to be built are steadfast in their opposition to more housing.
One corner of Kent is rapidly becoming a test case for how determined the government is to force through planning decisions in the teeth of local objections.
Quinn Estates developers want to build 8,400 homes, new schools and a new road in an area between Sittingbourne and the Isle of Sheppey.
There is strong local opposition to the plan, where the current village only has 275 houses. This could change the landscape forever.
Only 760 homes, about 9% of the proposed development will be classed as affordable housing. The developers argue that the level of affordable housing will be decided at a future inquiry. Others say the proposals are desperately needed, both for the local area and nationally. The UK has one of the worst housing shortages in the rich world, but this is partly due to the high influx of people from immigration.
The local Labour-led council was on the verge of voting to reject them, but at the eleventh hour it was “called in” by Housing Secretary Angela Rayner. This means the government will take over the planning application rather than let the local authority decide.
“It seemed very undemocratic,” said local Green Party councillor Rich Lehmann.
“They [councillors] should have been able to make their decision, even if it went to appeal after that decision was made.”
Labour MP Kevin McKenna was one of around 70 others who asked Rayner to intervene in the decision.
After a two-month consultation, ministers will set out the final version of changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The government says it will:
- Give councils mandatory targets to deliver 370,000 homes a year in England
- Prioritise brownfield sites – disused areas that have been developed in the past – for new buildings
- Provide £100m for councils and 300 additional planning officers to speed up the planning process
- Order councils to identify lower quality green belt land – or “grey belt” land which could be built on.
