Despite the ongoing housing crisis, it has been revealed that around 16,000 homes with planning permission in Bristol have not yet been built. The city council leader, Cllr Tony Dyer (Green, Southville), announced these figures and confessed that his attempts to encourage developers to build much-needed houses and flats have so far been unsuccessful. Bristol Live readers are frustrated with the lack of progress.
This number is an increase of 2,000 from last summer and comes a year after Cllr Dyer successfully proposed a motion to the full council. This motion, which was amended and agreed upon by the then-ruling Labour group and other parties, called for urgent steps to be taken to get homes built.
These steps included pressuring house-builders to finish properties that the council had approved and bringing vacant properties back into use.
During a question at the Bristol City Council member forum on Tuesday, January 14, Cllr Don Alexander (Labour, Avonmouth & Lawrence Weston) asked: “A key plank of the Green Party’s housing policy is ‘ensuring the 14,000 [now 16,000] unbuilt residential properties with planning permission are built as soon as possible’. Since coming to office in May, how many times, and where, have you successfully lobbied a developer with active planning permission to start construction?”
In response, Cllr Dyer admitted: “The reality and the honest answer is I have not been successful in bringing forward any of the 16,000 homes with planning permission. ” He continued, “We have issues with viability and in some cases, the only way we could progress those planning applications without extra grant funding would be to decrease the amount of affordable housing.” The council is also in talks with other private developers who have shown interest but have not moved forward.
Commenter Junius1 suggests: “Rather than focussing solely on Cllr. Dyer’s ‘mea culpa’, the underlying issues- referred to by the councillor as ‘some local and some national’- should be flagged up. Why, for example, are Section 106 agreements- from which developers pay a Community Infrastructure Levy- an apparent sticking point? To what extent is the social housing funding crisis, which is national, responsible for hold ups? How about the national shortage of skilled labour in the building trade. The Labour government has only made an interim increase of £500 million in the Affordable Homes Fund, which is patently not enough, but it is not clear that any more will be forthcoming. BCC is not the only council experiencing these problems, it is widespread.”
Stevesus asks: “Very curious as to why a construction business has chosen not to proceed. Is it because of red tape or it’s deemed not profitable? Bristol has been badly let down”
Bosco replies: “I would say that is both. I never understood the affordable housing part. Shouldn’t it be the responsibility of the council who buys the houses to make it into social housing? Also builders are not interested in building too much so the price keeps going up. That is what happens when you have only 5 companies running the market. This is why they are doing so many share ownership deals, they know that the prices will continue going up, because they control the supply.”
Dbanderson adds: “I would say it’s because those that build the houses have profits and shareholders to worry about. The house builders should build them as requested and then sell them to the council at the market price. The council can then use them as social stock. But the council wants them to be cheap and they won’t happen. Many stock prices have halved over the last 5 years as costs increase. There will never be cheap homes.”
Susiep suggests: “It may also be that permission was obtained as an enticement for sale of land & property without an intention to construct. The buyer may or may not subsequently utilise the permission. A loan to make the purchase would simply not be supported by Gvt. In addition, the local authorities would be faced with the prospect of purchasing a house at market price and then subsequently selling it at below market price as the right-to-buy still exists.”
Inner points out: “There is a massive problem with a shortage of skilled construction workers in this country which has been ignored for years by politicians. Prior to Brexit we were relying on workers from Eastern Europe to make up for the shortage of British builders but that source has gone. We need to start training our own young people again.”
Bs3bob agrees: “A mix of lack of builders and not wanting to flood an area with housing so they can keep the prices higher.”
Lionville wonders: “Can anyone tell me where these new homes would be built in Southville? Most of the streets are filled with Victorian and Edwardian solid terraced housing stock. There are some large blocks down towards Greville Park, but hardly any free land space?”
Covid-51 replies: “It seems if it isn’t a flat they won’t be building it.”
Do you think the new houses should be built? Will they help alleviate the housing crisis? Have your say in our comments section.