Places, people and planning: update on proposal 11

Proposal 11: Closing the gap between planning consent and delivery of homes.

We want planning authorities to take more steps to actively help deliver development.

Why we are making a change

Housing delivery is a continuing priority. We want to ensure that planning actively helps to enable development and the commitment to deliver 50,000 affordable homes over the course of this parliament.

What we are doing

• We are looking at how better information on viability can be used to strengthen delivery.
• Whilst changes to Compulsory Purchase Orders, Compulsory Sale Orders and a development land tax could all influence the context for planning for housing, we are exploring options around these separately and they will not be taken forward as part of the Planning Bill. We are however, preparing revised guidance for acquiring authorities on the use of their existing CPO powers, and a series of case studies of how CPO can be used, in the short term. We will also be considering the work of the Scottish Land Commission on these matters.
• We will continue to work with others, including through the More Homes Scotland approach, to ensure that planning does all it can to enable the building of more high quality homes of a broader range of types, and in a way which strengthens places and quality of life. We remain clear that planning for housing should recognise the importance of working with our environmental assets to create great places.
• We are working with More Homes colleagues to explore the potential to map the 50,000 affordable homes target, the spatial distribution of homes delivered and opportunities to link this to wider investment and delivery information. We are also in the early stages of considering a project focusing on 'Activating Sites' and exploring options to unlock land for homes.
• A £90,000 Challenge Fund for Self and Custom Build Housing was open to applications from 8 November to 1 December 2017 and will support the development of pilot projects that demonstrate and promote the value of self and custom build housing as an alternative to the mainstream housing delivery model.

How we will deliver change

• primary legislation – not currently programmed
• secondary Legislation – yes
• guidance – yes
• non-legislative action – yes

Next steps

We maintain that fuller information on the viability of sites and development delivery should be part of a planning process and will continue to develop this further with a view to future guidance.