Propertymark has stated that it supports the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government’s ‘Brownfield Passport’ as it should help boost the speed at which proposals for new housing are approved.  

On 30 July 2024, the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG) consulted on reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, and they then published a variety of papers exploring different areas of planning reforms. The purpose of the papers is to allow the industry to feedback to MHCLG as it considers steps to enact when reforming the current planning system.  

The first paper explores how to establish clear parameters for development proposals on brownfield land, which can help to cut costs, time and boost certainty of planning proposals being approved. This would form a ‘Brownfield Passport’ which local councils would use to accept proposals faster, but only if the proposals meet the criteria explained in the passport. The paper is searching for remarks on what the criteria within the passport should look like.  

Many Propertymark member agents are often worried about the supply of new homes, which affects the cost of homes to buy and rent. Therefore, it is crucial that any changes to planning policy results in a boost in supply throughout all tenures, to tackle the mismatch between the demand and supply of homes.  

The professional body stressed that planning proposals must always consider local housing and larger infrastructure needs. They said it is therefore vital that adequate time and resources are used to establish parameters for ‘Brownfield Passports’ that would meet this need.  

Additionally, Propertymark’s position is that planning policy should lead to the construction of homes that are in demand by the local or surrounding communities, which would reduce the seriousness of the housing crisis by building homes that reflect local needs and wishes. This would also solve problems where there is a lack of specific tenure of housing and where properties constructed are unaffordable to most residents.  

Henry Griffith, policy and campaigns officer at Propertymark, said: “Propertymark supports the concept of a ‘Brownfield Passport’, especially if it helps speed up planning proposals and can ensure any new homes built reflect the needs of the local community.

“The housing crisis is an ongoing issue and planning proposals can get bogged down by local opposition to new homes, so this measure would go some way to ensure that local wishes are reflected in planning proposals, which will guarantee that any new homes built can be quickly occupied.

“When producing the Brownfield Passports, it is vitally important that local planning authorities spend sufficient time and resources to create specific parameters that would satisfy this need for local housing and larger infrastructure.”