Last edited 31 Oct 2018

Independent review of house building barriers

On 14th January 2018, a panel of experts was unveiled by the government to investigate why so much housing that has planning permission has not actually been built.

Originally announced in the Autumn Budget 2017, and set up by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), the independent review considered why hundreds of thousands of homes have not been built in high demand areas despite planning permission having been granted.

The review was led by Sir Oliver Letwin, and examined factors that prevent the start of developments or delay delivery. It recommended practical steps for tackling problems and increasing the speed of building. It also investigated issues which may discourage housebuilding or the regeneration of complex sites and how they can be avoided.

The review was conducted in 2 phases:

Phase 1: Will seek to identify the main problems by reviewing large housing sites where planning permission has already been granted. This is currently under way and will be published in an interim report.
Phase 2: Will make recommendations on practical steps to increase the speed of build out, which will be published in the full report.

For more information, see Independent review of build out: final report.

The panel included:

Richard Ehrman – author, small commercial property developer and former journalist.
Lord Jitesh Gadhia – Member of the House of Lords and investment banker.
Lord John Hutton – Labour Peer and former Secretary of State.
Rt Hon Baroness Usha Prashar CBE, PC – Crossbench Peer.
Christine Whitehead – Emeritus Professor of Housing Economics at London School of Economics.

Sir Oliver Letwin, Chairman of the Review Panel, said:

"This government is serious about finding ways to increase the speed of build out as well as tackling the complicated issues surrounding it. That’s why we have set up this diverse panel to help me test my analysis and to make practical, non-partisan recommendations, as we look to increase housing supply that’s consistent with a stable UK housing market."