PD entitlements to be extended
Housing and planning minister Gavin Barwell has revealed that permitted development (PD) rights are to be expanded to allow more offices to be repurposed for residential use. Speaking at the London Property Summit in November, Barwell explained how relaxing the entitlements would allow office buildings to be demolished, creating space for like-forlike housing. “There’s a profound need to build more homes in this country,” he said. He also outlined how the government is seeking to unlock more land for development projects.
10% is the year-on-year increase in new build completions the Scottish Conservatives have called for to ensure that the target of 25,000 new homes per year is achieved. The party accused the SNP of failing to construct enough new dwellings to meet the current level of demand, and has also suggested that self build should be a major component in a “house building revolution”. Scottish government figures show that the number of completions in 2015-2016 fell to 15,854 from 16,209 the previous year.