Let builders build: reform planning from the ground up

Britain does not have a land shortage. It has a permission shortage. Only about 6% of English land is built on. The reason housing is expensive is not that we have run out of space. It is that the planning system makes it extraordinarily difficult to turn any of the remaining 94% into homes.

The average time from application to completion for a large housing development in England is now over four years. That is not careful stewardship. That is bureaucratic paralysis.

Adopt a rules-based zoning system like those in Japan, Germany, or Houston. Define clearly what can be built where. If a development meets the criteria, it proceeds without a discretionary committee hearing. Reserve full planning review for genuinely sensitive sites, heritage areas, and environmental protection zones.

This would not mean building on every green field. It would mean that when a site is appropriate for development, the decision takes weeks, not years. Every month of delay adds cost that gets passed to the buyer. Planning reform is housing policy.