Whitepaper highlights opportunities for developers and landowners from recent government announcements
Whitepaper highlights opportunities for developers and landowners from recent government announcements
A white paper from TerraQuest, the company powering Planning Portal, has identified a range of opportunities for developers and landowners arising from recent government announcements, which it argues represent a “turning point for housing land”.
Plotting the Future argues that the single biggest constraint on new homes is the availability of land. It goes on to assess the factors that constrain land availability, from planning constraints, to infrastructure, economic and market factors, as well as existing development, examining how recent government announcements have to a greater or less extent impacted these constraints.
The white paper was prompted by the emphasis placed on housing by the new government, which is epitomised by its ambition to see 1.5 million homes built over the course of the current parliamentary term – an aim supported by several policy changes.
While the government’s housing strategy was one of its earliest announcements after coming to power in July 2024, recent weeks have seen more detail announced, most notably at the budget on 30 October 2024 and with the recent publication of the draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
The whitepaper concludes that recent announcements are likely to reduce historic constraints on land availability somewhat. For developers and local authorities charged with delivering the 1.5 million new homes the government is calling for, this means quickly identifying suitable land and making use of third-party land finding services, such as that offered by TerraQuest.
“The government’s intention to ramp up housebuilding significantly is laudable and recognises the level of housing need in the UK. However, land availability has historically been one of the key constraints on housing delivery in the UK.
“Our analysis indicates that the government is backing up its ambitious targets with policies that have a strong potential to unlock the land needed for housing delivery.
“This now needs to translate into foundations being laid across the country, which requires developers to unlock specific sites. Identifying and acquiring these sites will be a significant challenge, especially for SME developers and local planning authorities. The efficient identification of suitable sites will be essential here. Our team is experienced in leveraging knowledge of the planning system and our industry contacts to identify sites.”
Complementing its Land Finding services for developers, TerraQuest has also recently launched its new Land Match offering to connect landowners looking to sell with suitable qualified developers, offering a further avenue through which to unlock land for housing and infrastructure development.
