The CIC has highlighted the government’s failure to address the poor quality of housing created under PDR. Credit: Kwangmoozaa via Shutterstock.

The Construction Industry Council (CIC) in the UK has highlighted areas of concerns with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in its response to the government’s consultation.  

The council’s main concerns include the quality of housing developed under Permitted Development Rights (PDR) and the need for strategic planning resources. 

On 30 July 2024, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government initiated a consultation on revising the NPPF to boost England’s housing stock.  

The CIC’s response to the consultation highlighted the government’s failure to address the poor quality of housing created under PDR. 

It expressed fears that more homes could be developed through this mechanism without a commitment to build quality. 

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The CIC also pointed out the need to tackle underfunding in planning and supports more specialist planning at a regional level.  

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The policy of ‘encouraging’ the reuse of existing buildings for conversion in the NPPF is deemed insufficiently strong by the CIC, which advocates for a ‘retrofit first’ approach. 

The proposed standard method for setting housing targets has been criticised by the CIC for not accounting for demographic changes and assuming a uniform need for new homes across different areas based on a national percentage.  

This approach has led to increased targets in areas where new homes may not be financially competitive with existing stock. 

CIC Housing Panel chair Tony Crook said: “We support what the government is doing, including much of the detail in the NPPF, such as reintroduction of local mandatory housing targets.  

“However, the NPPF will not be able to deliver on its own, and there is a real risk that without addressing other changes needed, government will fall well short of its housebuilding ambitions.” 

Furthermore, the CIC hopes the NPPF will address climate change by including provisions to support and maintain nature-based solutions and Blue-Green Infrastructure, among others. 

The council has also highlighted the skills shortage across various professional and trade sectors, stating that this issue needs urgent attention for house-building targets to be met.