Angela Rayner’s 1.5 new properties flatlining as Kent locals rage towards goal | Politics | News | EUROtoday

Angela Rayner’s plan to construct 1.5 million properties has seen Whitehall diktats impose “ridiculous” targets on a “beautiful” a part of Kent and threat “real harm” to inexperienced belt land. The Deputy Prime Minister is on monitor to overlook her housebuilding goal, with estimates new construct completions are flatlining at an annual charge of round 200,000 a yr. The dangerous information comes as Labour marks the primary anniversary of its General Election victory right this moment (July 5).

The Home Builders Federation (HBF) reached the damning conclusion based mostly on the variety of power efficiency certificates issued since Labour swept to energy 12 months in the past. Its estimate means the Government has fallen 100,000 behind its goal during the last yr. The HBF mentioned the nation is “well below” the place it must be on the subject of planning permissions over the subsequent two to 4 years. The Government has insisted that the 1.5 million properties is a goal for the entire Parliament and should not be damaged down into annual numbers.

The Government estimates 186,600 web extra properties have been delivered in England between the beginning of Parliament on July 9, 2024, and June 15 this yr. But HBF evaluation in June discovered the variety of new residence constructing websites granted planning approval in England through the first three months of this yr was the bottom since reporting started 20 odd years in the past, in line with the HBF, including to the chance Labour will not hit the 1.5 million mark. A report printed by Savills in June confirmed demand falling within the housing market.

Shadow Housing Secretary Kevin Hollinrake instructed the Express Ms Rayner’s figures have been plucked from skinny air and extra about her personal private ambition.

He mentioned: “Of course we need more homes – but Labour’s top-down 1.5 million target is completely unworkable and risks doing real harm. It ignores local need and local voices, forcing urban sprawl on areas like Sevenoaks, which is seeing housing targets rise by 63%. That means acre after acre of greenfield land lost, without the infrastructure or services to support the population increase.

“Angela Rayner’s figures are plucked from skinny air – extra about private ambition than a critical plan for the nation.”

He added: “In the frenzy to hit these numbers, we threat ending up with sub-standard properties within the flawed locations. We want the appropriate properties, in the appropriate locations – with correct native enter, not diktats from Whitehall.”

Sevenoaks has seen its housebuiling target rise from 165 to 704 under previous governments to a mandatory target of 1,149 under Labour. Sevenoaks District Council said it welcomed efforts to boost local housing supply, but was “deeply disillusioned” national policies have been introduced by Labour which it said would force many local authorities to develop green belt land.

Conservative district councillor, Nigel Williams, told the Express: “We do not know the way they (Labour) arrived at this determine, nevertheless it’s ridiculous. They’ve imposed this goal with out paying sufficient consideration to practicalities which come from an absence of infrastructure.”

He said local roads, schools, GP surgeries and other services would be under even greater pressure from a surge in population as people move to the area.

Cllr Williams said: “Lots of people listed here are completely horrified. It’s a really lovely, historic place. We know we have to construct new housing: for the aged to allow them to downsize, for younger households to allow them to transfer up the property ladder and for folks residing with mother and father as a result of there’s nothing reasonably priced.”

He joined other locals concerned the rush to meet a seemingly arbitrary target would result in substandard builds, creating “the slums of the long run”.

Nationally, the Government has been warned by industry bodies, training providers and companies that a lack of bricklayers and scaffolders also threatens to derail efforts to meet the 1.5 million target.

Ahead of the Spending Review, a report from public affairs firm WPI Strategy and economics consultancy Chamberlain Walker found 75,000 fewer homes would be built by small housebuilders before the next general election as red tape added £5billion to costs.

In Kent, there are also concerns new builds will be concentrated around hamlets and villages across Kent to prevent urban sprawl in towns such as Sevenoaks. Mr Williams suggested the new homes targets threaten to unleash a backlash.

He said: “The folks of Sevenoaks and surrounding space is not going to be sitting on their fences. They perceive they should do one thing [towards efforts to build new homes]however they will not need to lose what they’ve.”

On whether Labour can meet its target, he said: “I do not suppose so. I do not suppose it is achievable with out actual thought of infrastructure.”

Debbie Buckley from the New Edenbridge District Residents’ Association (NEDRA) told the Express that the members of their town, which has a population of around 9,000 and forms part of the Sevenoaks area, want affordable housing built.

She said: “We would love younger folks to have first dibs, nevertheless it would not at all times work out that means.”

House prices in Sevenoaks saw an overall average of £861,954 over the last year, according to Rightmove.

NEDRA’s members fear property developers or investors could hold onto undeveloped land in the town for years, expecting its value to rise before selling sites for profit. Another concern is developers promising a certain amount of affordable housing at the planning stage before dropping numbers once permission has been granted.

Asked if the group could be seen as Nimbies, Ms Buckley said: “Not in any respect. We perceive the necessity for reasonably priced housing. What we’re not clear on is how that is being delivered. We are additionally frightened concerning the inexperienced belt and biodiversity loss.”

Under the Government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill developers will be allowed to destroy natural habitats as long as they pay into a nature restoration levy. That money won’t have to go towards restoring those same sites but can be spent elsewhere.

Ms Buckley echoed sentiments voiced at local and national levels when asked about the Government’s 1.5 million new homes target. She said: “We perceive the properties will assist drive financial progress. This is about placing the appropriate properties in the appropriate locations for the appropriate folks.”

In a message to the Government, she warned: “Take a step again and take heed to what individuals are saying.”

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “The Government inherited an unprecedented housing disaster, however by means of our Plan for Change we are going to ship our stretching goal of 1.5 million properties so we will restore the dream of homeownership.

“We are taking decisive action to get Britain building again. Our revised housing targets have been set in line with the needs of local areas, so more homes will be built in the right places – but crucially not at the expense of the environment.

“Alongside this we’re delivering the most important enhance to social and reasonably priced housing in a technology backed by £39 billion funding, serving to to drive UK housebuilding to its highest degree in over 40 years.”

Figures show over 90,000 applications for planning permission were received in the first quarter of 2025 – a 6% increase on the same quarter last year.

Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook told a select committee of MPs in November it is a whole-Parliament target of 1.5 million rather than an annual target of 300,000. He said: “We aren’t going to hit a 300,000-type quantity within the first yr.”

The Government pointed to lead times in planning, infrastructure and construction as showing inherited constraints, but said it expects the number of new homes to start rising “considerably” within the third yr of the Parliament as soon as reforms take impact.

Ministers have mentioned they count on councils to discover all choices to ship the properties their communities want by maximising brownfield land, working with neighbouring authorities and, the place vital, reviewing Green Belt.

The Government additionally maintains that its new technique for assessing housing wants is extra goal, helps a extra strategic method, and distributes progress throughout wider metropolis areas and never simply to the most important city authority throughout the largest cities.