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01 Apr, 2025
What Are The Council Powers To Boost Housebuilding And Infrastructure?
01 Apr, 20251-2 minutes
In this blog, you will learn:
- What the council powers are to boost housebuilding and infrastructure.
- What these powers mean for the UK planning sector and housebuilding.
- Where the latest planning jobs are and how to apply for them.
As of March 2025, councils throughout the UK have gained new powers through key legislative changes aimed to accelerate housebuilding and infrastructure development. Reforms have been established to make the process of acquiring land easier and more affordable for local authorities. The overall aim is to tackle the UKs current housing shortage and streamline planning processes for local authorities.
In our latest blog, we’re exploring the council powers to boost housebuilding and infrastructure and what these powers mean for the UK planning sector.
What are the council powers to boost housebuilding and infrastructure?
At the end of 2024, the UK government announced new council powers and planning changes set to deliver thousands of more homes across the country in a quicker and easier fashion.
As part of the plan to boost housebuilding and infrastructure, the UK government announced:
- Councils would be able to deliver more homes and drive economic growth through the purchase of cheaper land.
- Help would be provided for councils to meet their housing targets through removal of ‘hope value’. Hope value is a measure that estimates the cost that land might be worth if it were to be developed upon in the future.
- The UK government’s Plan for Change would be supported in its efforts to deliver 1.5 million homes and overhaul the planning system.
Amongst the proposals announced at the end of 2024, local councils were empowered to buy cheaper land and use this to build the required homes and infrastructure under the government's plan to drive country wide growth and build 1.5 million new homes as part of its Plan for Change.
Not only do the council powers allow the development of thousands of more homes across the country, the changes will help to boost investment throughout town centres whilst balancing the economic growth of local communities.
The planned changes also consisted of the removal of ‘hope value’ meaning housebuilding can be accelerated, vacant land can be used effectively and families on the property ladder will receive the help they need.
Now a few months on, in an effort to continue boosting housebuilding, it has been announced that councils are to see increased powers to seize land. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill has been introduced with the goal of speeding up building and it is this bill in which the greater powers to seize land is part of.
As it stands, ‘hope value’ must be factored in by councils buying sites through compulsory purchase orders (CPOs), however this is set to be scrapped so that land can be purchased for a lower cost. This will be removed when it can be justified within the public interest.
Amongst the greater powers being given to local authorities across England and Wales, they will no longer be required to obtain permission for CPOs from central government. It is hoped that this change will open the opportunity for development on land that is vacant or derelict.
Amongst the newly introduced Planning and Infrastructure Bill, a new scheme will be introduced in order to determine which applications should go to committee and which can be driven by officers.
A nature restoration fund will also be formed to make sure that environmental obligations are being met by builders on a quicker and increased scale and clean energy will be focussed on to prioritise projects that can help achieve clean power by 2030.
Strategic planning has also been covered within the Planning and Infrastructure Bill in order to increase growth and assess the most sustainable areas in which to build by looking across local planning authorities and making sure that infrastructure needs and developments are aligning.
What do these council powers mean for the UK planning sector and housebuilding?
The powers awarded to councils through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill have been implemented with the goal of accelerating and simplifying housebuilding and the planning process, in order to benefit communities across England and Wales.
Town planning recruitment specialist, Josh Draycott, says “By giving councils the ability to acquire land at a lower cost, along with increasing local decision-making powers, the UK government stands the planning sector in better stead to boost housing delivery and create affordable homes.”
Streamlining planning rules also helps the UK planning sector to be more effective in its responsiveness to local demands and helps to meet long-term targets.
The exclusion of ‘hope value’ from compulsory purchase compensation means that land acquisition costs for public interest projects are expected to fall and as a result of this, large-scale development should be more financially viable.
By streamlining planning rules, this should also enable projects to be approved faster whilst giving local authorities greater control over their housing targets.
The overall goal of the reforms introduced is to create a responsive planning system that is able to support the government’s aim to deliver 1.5 million new homes by 2030 and tackle the housing shortage we see today.
Contact a town planning recruitment specialist
Josh Draycott is a dedicated private sector and local authority Town Planning recruitment specialist with a diverse background in recruitment.
With a strong focus on the planning industry, Josh recruits for a wide range of roles, including Town Planners, Policy Planners, Urban Planners, Development Management Planners and Directors of Planning. His expertise lies in sourcing both interim and permanent talent to meet the planning objectives of his clients.
Planning jobs
If you’re searching for your next town planning job, why not take a look at the latest vacancies, or simply upload your CV to be notified when a relevant position becomes available.
Town planning recruitment services
As town planning recruitment specialists, we support local authorities and private sector businesses nationwide with their temporary, interim and permanent recruitment needs.
Josh has built long-standing, trusted relationships with numerous local council planning departments, delivering tailored recruitment solutions that address the dynamic and evolving demands of the town planning sector.
If you’re struggling to fill a vacancy, get in touch with Josh Draycott on 01772 954200 to see how we can help.
Who is Spencer Clarke Group?
Established in 2017, we’re an award winning and progressive recruitment agency based in the heart of the North West. Our reputation is built on trust, expertise and an unwavering commitment to exceed expectations.
In 2024, we were named Recruitment Agency of the Year at the prestigious Recruiter Awards, an accolade we are extremely proud of.
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