British Property Federation calls for recruitment of 3,000 extra planners

The British Property Federation has called for the recruitment of 3,000 extra planners over the next five years.

The organisations says extra planners would not only help embed the government’s planning reform agenda, but would also ensure that opportunities offered by devolution are realised.

Combined authorities are set to be given power and responsibilities over new spatial development strategies under legislation recently published by the government.

The BPF said the extra planners could be part-funded through the re-use of efficiency savings from council reorganisation, the introduction of mayoral council tax precepts and greater cost recovery from applicants.

It also called for additional resources to be given to the Building Safety Regulator.

Melanie Leech, chief executive of the British Property Federation, said the government had “moved at pace” in its first months but that it now needed to match its reforms to planning with a clear long-term plan for maximising the potential of real estate.

She said more planning capacity was needed to “help unlock the full potential of the system changes” and that lack of resource in the Building Safety Regulator was causing delays that were “currently holding back the delivery and occupation of thousands of homes across the country for up to a year”. 

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“We also invite the Government to work with us to tackle further regulatory barriers and to address current viability challenges,” she said.

The recommended policies were included in the BPF’s ‘plan for growth’, which also suggested measures for greater digitisation, adoption of better regulation to address viability issues, and a 10-year rent settlement.

It also argues that the adoption of a Town Centre Investment Zone model, which it said would maximise the levers available to local bodies to redevelop particular areas.