Rishi Sunak has pledged to drive through plans to build hundreds of thousands of new homes in Britain’s biggest cities, as he admitted that the Conservatives had “much more to do” to help young people get on the housing ladder.
Under new rules to be unveiled on Tuesday urban councils that are not meeting housing targets will be told they can refuse planning permission on brownfield land only in exceptional circumstances.
Shops, offices and other commercial buildings will also be able to be converted into homes without the need for full planning permission as the government promises to do far more to “put rocket boosters” under construction in areas that are already built-up.
