The government will launch a team dedicated to helping developments get off the ground when they are stuck in the planning stage.
The New Homes Accelerator will be staffed by experienced members of the Ministry of Housing and Homes England, while they will work across the government and local councils to overcome planning red tape.
Angela Rayner, deputy prime minister, said: “Our New Homes Accelerator will quickly identify blockages, fix problems and support local authorities and developers to get shovels in the ground.”
The government said there are 200 large sites with outline or detailed plans ready to go but are yet to begin construction.
The team was originally announced in Chancellor Rachel Reeve’s keynote speech on growth in July.
Simon Vernon-Harcourt, design & planning director at City & Country, said: “It feels like the wheels are finally in motion to speed up the delivery of new homes by the Labour government, and they have shown some genuine appetite to get Britain building.
“Rayner’s commitment to deploy a team to work through planning blocks and local issues is encouraging, but we must be realistic, it is going to take some time to unravel and reform the system as it stands after years of bad management.
“We need proactive and pragmatic planning officers who can sensibly deal with issues, allow things to move forward, and help turn housing delivery on its head.”
The New Homes Accelerator will work to get things moving at Stretton Hall in Leicestershire, Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community in Essex, and Biggleswade Garden Community in Central Bedfordshire, which have the potential to unlock more than 10,000 new homes when completed.
Victoria Du Croz, head of planning at Forsters, said: “Developments stall for a myriad of complex reasons and it is difficult to see how these will be overcome, especially where the environment is concerned.
“Protected species are covered under separate legislation, requiring licenses and work to be carried out at specific times of the year, while the proposed additional mitigation around nutrient neutrality is still ambiguous.
“We need to see greater clarity on how the planning regime and other statutory regimes will work in tandem, and it’s not clear how parachuting in a team of planners will rectify this challenge.
“Another key issue is the ability for Registered Providers (RP) to take on the affordable housing on development sites. Section 106 agreements will often require developers to transfer the affordable units to a RP before further building work or occupation can happen and this currently isn’t feasible for providers who are focusing resources on current stock maintenance and operation.
“A final challenge is sufficient infrastructure provision, sites are increasingly stalling due to inadequate water supply or grid capacity, these issues need to be looked at holistically and across Government departments.
“While I welcome the government’s commitment to unlocking sites that are stalling post planning, the solution is by no means simple and it won’t be possible to bypass other statues or legislation.”