Housing Secretary ‘reviewing planning reforms’ am...

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20 September 2021

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By Marc Shoffman

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Housing Secretary ‘reviewing planning reforms’ amid donations scandal

New Housing Secretary Michael Gove is reported to be set to press ahead with plans to pause controversial planning reforms.

It came as Gove was caught up in a donations scandal just days into the role.

Critics have called for him to return £100,000 in donations from property developer Zachariasz Gertler in August to avoid any conflict of interest.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said all donations have been prepared in the proper way.

Meanwhile, Gove is reported to be planning a review on the proposed planning reforms which would have set local targets and created a zonal system that homeowners can’t object to.

Housebuilders, unsurprisingly, are still keen to press ahead with reforms to help the UK hit its target of building 300,000 homes per year.

Brian Berry, chief executive of the Federation of Master Builders, said: “Almost half of small house builders say that the planning system is one of the biggest constraints on their ability to build more homes.

“The pausing of planning reforms that had proposed greater support for small – and medium-sized developers is therefore a concern.”

You can read more about the developer scandal here.