Local authority land key to unlocking 1.6 million homes

Local authorities own enough unused small plots of land to build 1.6 million homes, according to a research from LDS Sales Guarantees, the development guarantor. Now it is calling for new rules and a new planning model to unlock small sites for SME housebuilders.

The research and the policy paper have gained support from both the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) and lawmakers. “SME housebuilders need small plots of land; this data shows councils have large swathes of unused small plots,” said Chris Carr, managing director of Carr & Carr Builders, and national vice president of the FMB.

“By adopting this model councils in combined authority areas could offer a wider range of SMEs a wider choice of sites – thereby increasing the chance of matching sites with housebuilders.”

Andrew Lewer MP, Chair of the APPG for SME House Builders, believes that housebuilding on these unused sites would do more than simply meet the need for more housing. “Unlocking this problem could mean more than just much-needed extra housing. It could also bring a much-needed boost to local economies across England and Wales,” he said.

Working with Nimbus Maps, LDS has found that councils in England and Wales own almost 320,000 unused “small sites” listed with the Land Registry as having no use and no existing buildings.

The sites are all three acres or less but, when combined,  cover a total of nearly 100,000 acres.  This is enough to accommodate a total of 1.6 million homes, providing enough living space for 3.8 million people at national average occupancy rates of 2.4 people per property.

LDS proposes that combined authorities or individual councils should identify brownfield sites suitable for housing and hold a simplified procurement process for SME housebuilders with a turnover below an agreed threshold.

The paper also calls for streamlined planning processes, with councils applying to themselves for outline planning permission for housing once sites have been identified.