“Super Squad” launched to unblock planning system

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Housing and Levelling Up Secretary, Michael Gove is vowing to build more homes “in the right places where there is local consent” but won’t “concrete over the countryside.”

Gove is setting up a new “super-squad” team of leading planners and other experts charged with working across the planning system to unblock major housing developments.

The team will first be deployed in Cambridge to turbocharge plans in the city.

A £24m Planning Skills Delivery Fund will also help to clear backlogs and get the right skills in place in the underfunded planning system.

Developers will also be asked to contribute more in fees.

Planning rules will also be loosened to convert shops, takeaways and betting shops into homes which will help to rejuvenate the high street. =

Red tape will also be cut to enable barn conversions and the repurposing of agricultural buildings and disused warehouses.

Gove said: “Most people agree that we need to build more homes – the question is how we go about it.

“Rather than concreting over the countryside, we have set out a plan today to build the right homes in the right places where there is community support – and we’re putting the resources behind it to help make this vision a reality.

“At the heart of this is making sure that we build beautiful and empower communities to have a say in the development in their area.”