The new Chair of the West Midlands Parliamentary Labour Party joined us for our final Politics vs Planning of 2024. Throughout the year, we’ve hosted 10 speakers and over 200 guests to discuss some of the most pressing issues facing the sector. It’s a year that’s seen major political change, with a new government and a different approach to the narrative around planning.
In the final Politics vs Planning of the year, we heard from Rachel Taylor MP who shared her views and some thought-provoking statistics on home ownership, ‘affordable’ housing and the current pitfalls of the planning system.
Rachel, who before entering Parliament, worked as a property solicitor, dashed back from a three-line whip in London to join us at The Cosy Club in central Birmingham for a discussion on how Britain can build the homes it needs for future generations.
Covering a broad range of planning matters, Rachel focused her main contribution on home ownership, something that she has cared passionately about for some years. During his time as a property solicitor, Rachel said year-on-year she noticed a drop in the number of young people coming into her office to buy their first home. Rachel was clear that if we don’t take urgent action now, ‘we will have a whole generation of young people locked out of property ownership.’
Rachel outlined the three main reasons that the housing market isn’t working:
- The ever-increasing multiple of property price when compared to median income.
Rachel’s first home was 2.5x her annual income, whereas those living in her constituency today face average property prices which are 10.2x the median annual income.
- A widening gap between average household earnings and what people can borrow.
When comparing average household earnings with the amount that people can borrow for a mortgage, the average gap is around £60,000 for first-time buyers.
- A shortage of homes, held up in the planning system
The Local Government Association (LGA) estimates there is outstanding planning permission on over one million homes which have no current project timeline or lead developer progressing with the build. This is just one factor contributing to lack of pace in developing new homes. Further compounded by the fact that during the last government, planning approvals dropped to their lowest ever on record.
So, what is to be done?
It’s obvious that some major policy shifts are needed to fix the system, both in terms of mortgages and the planning process. Rachel also believes that professionals need to adapt their thinking when approaching schemes and their engagement with local communities.
Rachel questioned the assumption that young people are always pro-development and older people always oppose it. She said many older people in her constituency talk about wanting to downsize, but struggle to find a property that will meet their needs nearby. She also mentioned her constituents speak to her about their concerns that younger people, some of them nurses who come to their homes to treat them, can’t afford to live in the area. The knock-on effect for patients is delays to visits and clinics: but just as importantly is the sympathy she said older residents have for the younger people of today trying to get on the housing ladder. A sympathy which doesn’t translate neatly to the often-adopted narrative of older people automatically opposing development.
The key to mobilising supportive voices? A thorough understanding of the local community landscape where development is proposed. Reaching out to people in a sensitive way, understanding they will likely both benefit and experience inconvenience when a new development is brought to their community.
If you want to engage with local communities across the Midlands to secure advocacy for projects, or you want to be on our mailing list to receive invites to insightful events with local MPs, council leaders and other influencers in the built environment, get in touch.
