Weekly planning news
Planning news - 28 August 2025
New Homes Accelerator priority sites revealed – what it means for local areas
The government has announced that its New Homes Accelerator programme has so far facilitated the development of “almost 100,000 homes,” according to a press release published on the official government website this week1. The programme is designed to tackle challenges that are slowing down housing development on land that already has planning permission, using the expertise and resources of Homes England.
This initiative followed our findings last year that over 1 million homes with planning permission since 2015 remained unbuilt.
In the same announcement, the government revealed six new priority sites that will benefit from the programme’s intervention. These sites include:
- Wisley Airfield in Guildford
- Hampden Fields in Aylesbury
- Comeytrowe Garden Community (also known as Orchard Grove) in Somerset
- North Leigh Park in Wigan
- Billet Road in Redbridge, London
- High Road West in Haringey, London
The New Homes Accelerator aims to speed up delivery and help more people get onto the property ladder while addressing the broader housing crisis. According to the press release, the scheme provides “targeted support” to local councils, including additional planning capacity and assistance in removing regulatory hurdles that may be slowing development.
By focusing on these key sites and providing direct support, the government claims the programme will ensure that housing projects progress more quickly, contributing to the supply of new homes across England.
Breaking: Councils could see major growth, as new stats reveal construction activity growing
Construction activity has seen an unexpected lift, with project starts rising 9% in the three months to July 2025, as recently reported by Glenigans2. The increase was recorded both quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year, contrasting sharply with the S&P Global UK Construction PMI, which recently reported its steepest decline in over five years.3
While the PMI reflects business sentiment among purchasing managers, these new figures capture projects that have actually moved on site - pointing to resilience in construction activity despite wider market concerns.
Regional growth is particularly striking. The West Midlands leads the way, with project starts up 40% quarter-on-quarter and 79% annually, while the North West also performed strongly with a 27% quarterly increase. The East of England rose 16% quarterly and 47% year-on-year, and the South East saw 22% growth in the quarter and 9% annually. London and Northern Ireland posted quarterly growth, though they remain below last year’s levels. These figures suggest that councils in several regions could see heightened planning and construction activity over the coming months.
Sector performance shows a mixed picture. Residential construction is the strongest performer, rising 10% quarter-on-quarter and 25% year-on-year, driven almost entirely by private housing, which surged 24% quarterly and 40% annually. Social housing, however, has seen a decline, falling 33% from the previous quarter and 24% year-on-year. Non-residential sectors are more varied: office projects are booming, while education, retail, and utilities are lagging.
Applications to convert local shops and offices into homes jump by 33%
Applications to convert commercial properties into housing under commercial-to-residential permitted development (PD) right, known as class MA, rose sharply in 2024/25.4
New figures show that local planning authorities received 1,630 class MA applications in the 12 months to March 2025 - up 33% on the 1,226 submitted the previous year.
Introduced in 2021, class MA allows certain commercial properties such as offices, shops, restaurants, and professional services to be turned into homes without a full planning application. Rules were relaxed in March 2024, when the previous government scrapped the three-month vacancy requirement and lifted the upper floorspace cap.
Activity remains strong. In the first quarter of 2025, 384 applications were lodged - a 29% rise year-on-year - while approvals also climbed. Councils granted 246 applications in the quarter, up 24% on the previous three months and 47% higher than a year earlier. For the full financial year, approvals totalled 967, a 37% increase on 2023/24.
Approval rates are also improving. In the year to March 2025, 65.5% of applications requiring prior approval were granted, up from 61.3% the year before.
Planning Portal can reveal that 258 applications were submitted in July alone, underlining the scale of demand. Users can track the latest planning application trends in our quarterly Application Index.5
The data highlights that commercial-to-residential conversions continue to be a popular route for increasing housing supply, particularly in urban areas. However, applications and approvals peaked in mid-2024, suggesting the rate of growth may be moderating following the initial surge after the policy relaxation.
- https://www.gov.uk/government/news/turning-the-tide-government-clears-path-for-almost-100000-homes
- https://www.glenigan.com/glenigan-index-shows-steady-growth-amid-pmi-downturn-reports/
- https://www.planningportal.co.uk/services/weekly-planning-news/planning-news-7-august-2025#sharp-drop-in-construction-activity-threatens-local-housing-targets
- https://www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1929832/applications-commercial-to-resi-pd-right-33-year-on-year
- https://www.terraquest.co.uk/news-and-insights/q2-planning-application-index-2025
