Delivering Homes and Growth – Local Growth Plans

On the 30th July 2024, every Local Authority Leader and Chief Executive in England, received a letter from the Rt Hon Angela Rayner, Deputy Prime Minister, reminding them of their professional responsibility and moral obligation, to see more homes built.

Like the end of term school report, more effort is required and, as the new academic year starts, some observations as follows.

Building more homes is fundamental to unlocking economic growth but, the house building programme must not be carried out in isolation from the broader needs of the area.  Although very tempting to have a new homes target as a key performance indicator (KPI), it must be seen as one of many.

Long term growth planning focuses on the jobs and skills needs of the area, together with the wider placemaking infrastructure, be it schools, health facilities, transport or culture.  It is focusing on the delivering on these needs over a five, ten, fifteen-year timeline, that will deliver long term economic growth in the area.

Whilst building homes creates construction jobs and, arguably, enable people to live where they wish to with access to high quality jobs, long term economic growth can only truly be delivered, if the building homes programme is delivered in tandem with a jobs first Local Growth Plan (LGP).

Our Six-Step LGP process, addresses this.

The methodology utilises data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), at local authority level. This enables the LGP to be developed at local authority area and at a consolidated regional level.

We also recognise that several local authorities have existing economic development strategies that focus on the business and industry sector they seek to attract. These strategies work with the grain of the heritage and location of the area, thus forming the starting point for a deliverable LGP.

Government proposes to also explore the rolling out of Spatial Development Strategies (SDSs).  SDSs are statutory land use documents within the National Planning Policy Framework and as such, they should support and enable the delivery of LGPs through the planning framework and be measured against the LGP delivery targets.

A funding plan to deliver the LGPs is a key element to the Six Step process. 30 years ago, Government established the National Lottery Funds for Arts, Heritage, Sports and Millennium projects. This has been transformative across the whole of the UK. Like the Millennium Fund in the 1990’s, a capital growth fund should empower local authority leaders and mayors to deliver growth led transformation programmes and the need for additionality would ensure that this funding is catalytical to attracting funding from the private sector.

Please contact us, if you would like to discuss further.