Lyons review: Labour announces policy to reach 200,000 homes a year

The report by Sir Michael Lyons, which considers housing policy in England, will be unveiled at 11.30am today by the Labour leader in Milton Keynes.

The three policies to unlock the 200,000 new homes a year by 2020 promised by the party are; councils produce a house building plan for their area, and if they fail to deliver the planning inspectorate will havepowers to step in, local authorities will be able to designate ‘housing growth areas’ and first time buyers will get priority access to these new homes. For more detailed information about the policies see below.

Mr Miliband will say: ‘We will get Britain building again by insisting local authorities have a plan to meet the need for housing in their area – and that the big developers play their part rather than hold land back. 

‘But we will also make sure that communities get the benefit from new home development by guaranteeing that where communities take the lead in bringing forward additional developments, a significant proportion of homes on those sites cannot be bought by anyone before first-time buyers from the area have been given the chance. This is not only a fairer system, it is also one which will encourage local communities and local authorities to support the development that our country so desperately needs.’

Labour is also accepting the following proposals from the report to ‘underpin the roadmap’ to 200,000 homes a year. These are: powers for local authorities to form partnerships, like the Olympic-style New Homes Corporations, to build homes quickly, financial incentives for councils to deliver new garden citiesand suburbs, and measures to expand the number of small firms including a help to build scheme to underwrite loans to small builders and fast track planning on small sites.

Sir Michael Lyons will call for delegation of ‘powers and responsibility’ to communities.

He said: ‘The recommendations will make more land available for new homes; unlock investment in infrastructure; and ensure that new homes are built when and where they are needed in attractive, thriving places. That will involve a more active role for local government in assembling land and in risk sharing partnerships with developers, landowners.’

He added: ‘We will need the industry to do more, get smaller house builders back into business, tap potential in the construction industry, attract new enterprise and unlock potential for housing associations to do more. This will reverse the shrinking capacity in a key UK industry and create 230,000 new jobs whilst adding 1.2% to GDP.’

Inside Housing has secured an interview with Sir Michael Lyons which will be published later this morning.