<p>Government needs to change the narrative around and perception of planning, according to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Housing Market and Housing Delivery.</p> <p>The APPG has published a report - <i>Hacking Housing: Nine Supply Side Hacks to Fix our Housing System Error </i>– which calls for planning to be made “sexy”, with the government’s planning role elevated to cabinet level. The APPG also wishes to see the return of the chief planner, “because going to work and designing communities that will last hundreds of years is actually a pretty cool job”. </p> <p>The report points to the persistent challenges within the housing industry, including a lack of supply-side support. It also highlights the need for “a more conducive political narrative that cuts through the Nimby/Yimby divide”. </p> <p>According to the APPG, the government’s target of 300,000 homes a year “remains elusive, despite post-pandemic progress”. This shortfall underlines “structural shortcomings” in market dynamics, policy frameworks and political considerations.</p> <p>The report presents recommendations to address the structural weaknesses the APPG outlines. As well as making planning more appealing and elevating its political status, the APPG calls for housing targets to be linked to levelling up priorities. </p> <p>There should be sub-regional spatial …