Quote Originally Posted by Q165 View Post
Increased housebuilding is not as straightforward as seems to be made out. The problem occurs not with planners but with the house builders themselves. It used to be the case that when planning permission was granted for development there was a 5 year limit within which this had to be taken up otherwise the permission would lapse. This was later reduced to 3 years. A pretty common occurance was for house builders to obtain permission but not necessarily implement the development. They would very often build up land banks and wait until circumstances were most favourable for them to build. If a planning permission has not been implemented it is a relatively straightforward process to extend the time limit within which it can be taken up. Developers are not at all obliged to build. It is their choice. Having housing targets is OK but even when areas and numbers are identified, set down and agreed it does not guarantee that building will actually take place
Land banking is a real problem Q.

I sold some brownfield land along with planning permission for 6 starter homes 6 years ago and still the land sits untouched and in a now terrible state.

The developer who bought it has messed around with trying to increase density and can’t get his plans passed.

I wished I kept it now because the £155k I sold it for I could by now have afforded to have built and sold the houses myself at a good profit.

Reeves has got her work cut out but if she gets legislation passed to allow her or Rayner to overrule local councils it would help.

Land banking needs to be stopped, a penalty of 50% of the lands value should be charged for every year after the first year where building has not taken place.