New Prime Minister Keir Starmer has unveiled plans to transform the planning system and one Merseyside window and door maker believes it could usher in a ‘golden age of housebuilding’. Tony McDonough reports

Britain could be on the verge of a new “golden age of housebuilding” if the Labour Government’s new planning reforms get the property market moving.

In last week’s King’s Speech, Prime Minister Keir Starmer started to put meat on the bones of his pledge that his administration would be “builders not blockers” by unveiling a raft of planning reforms.

They include streamlining the planning system to make it easier for developers to get schemes approved and to reduce the power of so-called NIMBY (not in my back yard) power. It is likely there will be more homes built in Green Belt areas.

Mr Starmer said they would consult communities on “how, not if” homes are built in their area. And It is likely that Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner will enforce housing targets on local authorities. Councils that don’t meet their targets will see more planning refusals overturned.

This is all part of the Government’s pledge to build at least 1.5m new homes during the course of the Parliament.

These moves have been welcomed by Greg Johnson, managing director of Bootle window and door manufacturer Warwick North West. He took over at the helm of the business in 2021 from his father Brian Johnson in 2021 and has since pushed annual revenues to £12m.

He is ambitious to accelerate Warwick’s growth further and add to its 115-strong workforce. Greg has targeted the social housing sector as a key growth area. In March it won a contract to supply windows and doors on 45 affordable homes for Sovini Construction.

He told LBN: “Britain’s housing market is in a shocking state. There is a chronic shortage of homes at all levels of the market. This has meant sky-high prices and rents and, for many people, even affordable homes have become unaffordable.

“It doesn’t take a genius to work out that to bring down the price of homes you have to increase supply. Labour’s commitment to build 1.5m new homes in the next few years is ambitious but doable.

“Those of us involved in or supplying the housebuilding sector have been crying out for planning reform. Of course local communities must have a voice but the balance needs to change. We have to discourage opposition for opposition’s sake and get building.”

Last week the Government put its money where its mouth is when Homes England offered £55m for infrastructure works on Liverpool Waters which will help facilitate the building of thousands of new waterfront homes.

And Liverpool City Council is seeking public views on its plan to enable the building of thousands of new homes across the city. In May it unveiled a strategy that would see an extra 8,000 homes built by 2027, 20% of them class as affordable.

Greg added: “We have seen here in Liverpool city region there is a real appetite from both local councils, and Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram, to get building and provide thousands of new homes.

“It is also good that the Government has recognised the need for associated infrastructure to support all these new houses. We need clean energy, transport connections and local amenities.

“And Ministers also need to ensure we are building homes with the highest standards of thermal efficiency. We make sure our own windows and doors well exceed the minimum standards for keeping heat inside homes.

“If the new Government gets this right it could usher in a new golden age of housebuilding. It will enable Warwick, and many businesses like us, to grow and create skilled employment over the next few years.”