Planning Reforms: Energy and Housing Costs

Lord Campbell-Savours Excerpts

Thursday 15th May 2025 Lords Chamber

[The Lord Speaker (Lord McFall of Alcluith)]

My Lords, I invite the noble Lord, Lord Campbell-Savours, to participate remotely.

[Lord Campbell-Savours (Lab) [V]]

My Lords, do not planning reforms which fail to address land costs for housing development perpetuate a system in which high costs determine affordability of housing for sale? Again, I ask my oft-repeated question: why not examine arrangements in Nijmegen in Holland and Hammarby in Sweden, where housing for sale has been built on land acquired at agricultural prices? Indeed, we could go further by adopting new forms of title which lock in discounted affordable sale prices with occupancy and resale restrictions. We need to think out of the box in this housing crisis.

[Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Lab)]

My Lords, I have heard my noble friend speak on this issue many times, and he is quite right to point to the restrictions that the value of land places on the system. Of course, we are always looking at new methods of making sure that the houses we need are viable and will deliver the quantity of housing needed, and we continue to explore all avenues to deliver that properly. I hope my noble friend will look at the Planning and Infrastructure Bill: there is progress in there, and I hope he likes what he sees.