Gove "not afraid" to take on nimbys - HBF Policy Conf

The government has enjoyed a “frank and open” dialogue with the industry to address housebuilding’s challenges, according to levelling up secretary Gove. He also said he was “not afraid” to take on nimbys in a “respectful” way.

Speaking at the Home Builders Federation’s Policy Conference in London, Gove said that in further conversations with the Home Builders Federation (HBF) and housebuilders, he wished to “make sure we can identify those remaining challenges that should be addressed”.

Asked if he had questioned enough dissent over housing, Gove said he was “not afraid to say to colleagues: ‘I think you’re wrong.’ But this has to be a respectful conversation”.

He pointed to his department’s plans for growth in Cambridge as another example of taking on nimbys. “There has been opposition but we’ve said ‘no’.” At the same time, he said “we should work with those with objections to development”.

Gove also turned to Labour’s latest moves on housing, suggesting they were contradictory. London mayor Sadiq Khan’s London Plan “piles additional requirements on developments”. And Labour had proved to be “blockers, not builders”, he said, in opposing the government’s wish to tackle nutrient neutrality through legislation.

“Keir Starmer’s rhetoric …