Johnson vows to stop ‘overdevelopment’ in some parts of the country

Boris Johnson has repeated his pledge to stop ‘overdevelopment’ in some parts of the United Kingdom through his levelling up agenda.

The prime minister, speaking at the Conservative party’s spring conference on Saturday, said his government’s levelling up policies would tackle the ‘old model’ which has left the UK the most ‘imbalanced European economy”. The levelling up agenda seeks to spread wealth and opportunity to other parts of England outside London & the south east.

He said: “By unleashing talent everywhere you stop the overheating and the stress and the overdevelopment, that is a part of the failed economic model, and we take the whole country forward together.”

This follows Johnson last October saying new homes should not be built on green fields “jammed in the south east” but should instead be built on brownfield sites ‘where homes make sense’.

The comments have been seen as a key factor, along with housing secretary Michael Gove’s review of planning policy, behind several councils in the home counties deciding to ditch or halt their local plans. Hertsmere and Welwyn & Hatfield councils both voted against their own local plans, citing changing government policy, while Mid Sussex council has also paused its local plan.

Johnson’s comments came as the government announced Blackpool as the latest city to receive what it describes as a ‘King’s Cross style transformation’ through its levelling up plans.

It said the Lancashire seaside city will be able to access the £1.5bn brownfield fund to bring unusued land for housing into use and Homes England will work ‘at pace’ with local leaders too find regeneration opportunities.

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Sheffield and Wolverhampton have also been confirmed as among the 20 areas to be regenerated.

Neither Johnson nor Michael Gove mentioned planning reform in their speeches to the conference. Joanna Averley, chief planner at the department for levelling up, housing and communities, last month said there would be an update in the spring.