Government's housing white paper says rail stations are top priorities for increasing home-building

The Government has outlined plans to increase the number of homes built around train stations to boost the supply of housing by reviewing planning policies to support this.

The communities secretary Sajid Javid today publishes a new plan to increase annual housebuilding in the U.K from 190,000 last year - and an average of 160,000 over the last 30 years - to 275,000 in a bid to close the growing gap between average incomes and average house prices. 

The housing white paper says that densities in U.K cities are low, with fewer inhabitants per hectare in London than in Berlin, Paris, Milan or Madrid, and they should be increased to boost supply. Ministers will review the National Planning Policy Statement to discourage low-density developments where there is a shortage of land and demand for housing. It wants highest densities at railway stations. 

The white paper states: “Plans should address the particular scope for higher-density housing in urban locations such as around railway stations; that provide scope to replace or build over low density uses (such as retail warehouses, lock-ups and car parks).” It asks for views on indicative minimum densities at locations such as railway stations.

The Daily Mail reported that Javid believes that the Government can be more ambitious than demanding, as now, that Network Rail and the Homes & Communities Agency build 10,000 new homes on railway land.

The white paper also says Green Belt reviews should first consider land around transport hubs or previously developed and that the £2.3bn housing infrastructure fund for infrastructure to support development will be targeted at the areas of greatest housing need.

Discuss this at the Landor LINKS' Rail Stations & Property Summit 2017 in London on 21 February.