Deputy Prime Minister Commits to Unlocking Housing Sites in South East

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has committed to facilitating the development of housing sites currently stalled in the South East. Speaking to BBC South East, Ms. Rayner identified numerous locations in Kent, Surrey, and Sussex requiring activation for construction, noting that developers express “frustrated that they are constantly in this process of being blocked.” This commitment follows her approval of a housing project in Cranbrook, Kent, situated within an area of outstanding natural beauty, which had previously been rejected by Conservative councillors. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, in a significant address on Thursday, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to construct 1.5 million homes in England during the upcoming Parliament. He stated that “no solution to the housing crisis without approving controversial development.” The Kent Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) characterized the 165-home project in Cranbrook as “a political signal that the countryside is fair game for developers.” Ms. Rayner, who also holds the position of Secretary of State for Housing, declined to discuss specific planning cases but affirmed the government’s promise to “build on brownfield sites first.” Councils within Sussex have voiced significant apprehension regarding their ability to meet the government’s revised housebuilding targets, citing geographical constraints such as the sea to the south, the South Downs National Park, and the High Weald National Landscape. Ms. Rayner countered, stating, “I don’t believe for one minute across the whole of the South East – which I know very well – that there is only the rolling hills of Sussex.” She added, “There is lots of brownfield, lots of areas that need to be unlocked for development.” Ms. Rayner further explained, “And developers who have got land there are frustrated that they are constantly in this process of being blocked so what we want to do is unlock those sites and get those houses built.” According to newly proposed house-building targets, authorities in Kent, Sussex, and Surrey will be required to construct an additional 7,116 homes annually, beyond their current targets. The Surrey CPRE predicts this will result in a “tsunami” of development impacting the county’s green belt. Ms. Rayner affirmed that environmental and natural considerations would be factored in. She elaborated, “National parks and heritage sites, they’re all excluded and within the National Planning Policy Framework it clearly sets out what our rules are and it also talks about brownfield first.” Ms. Rayner concluded, “With local plans and mandatory targets it means local areas will identify the areas of land that they believe is where the houses should go and the infrastructure and we will help deliver it.”