Rayner calls on housebuilders to “get on and build”

New government rules proposed today (May 25th) will call on housebuilders to commit to delivery timeframes before they get planning permission and to submit annual reports showing their progress to councils. The rules propose that developers who “consistently fail to build out consented sites” and those who “secure planning permissions simply to trade land speculatively” could face a Delayed Homes Penalty which the government says will be worth thousands per unbuilt home, paid directly to local planning authorities.

The proposed rules will apply to residential developments with 50 or more dwellings.

Speaking on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg today, deputy prime minister and housing secretary Angela Rayner announced the consultation on the rules saying: "When developers come forward with planning applications I expect them to to say how many houses they are going to build year on year, notify the council when they start and then annually to give us the amount of houses that they built and penalties if they don't meet those targets."

MHCLG said: “Those deliberately sitting on vital land, without building the homes promised, could see their sites acquired by councils where there is a case in the public interest and stripped of future planning …