The New Homes Accelerator

About the New Homes Accelerator

The New Homes Accelerator is a collaborative effort between the government, Homes England, the Greater London Authority, local authorities, developers and other key stakeholders. It aims to unblock and accelerate the delivery of housing developments that have for various reasons become delayed, or which are not progressing as quickly as they could be.

Initial analysis suggests there may be more than 200 sites with outline or detailed planning permission where work on site has delayed, with potential to deliver up to 300,000 homes.

How the New Homes Accelerator works

The New Homes Accelerator will focus on selected large-scale housing developments that are encountering significant delays or obstacles.

By leveraging government resources including Homes England, working closely with local authorities, and fostering collaboration with developers and landowners, the New Homes Accelerator will:

• identify and address specific thematic issues causing delays, such as coordination failures, regulatory obstacles, and local authority capacity constraints
• deploy expert teams to provide on-the-ground support to local authorities, offering planning and enabling assistance to expedite the development process
• utilise its resources to unblock and accelerate delivery on sites that are facing delays or not progressing as quickly as they could be
• inform future reforms to housing and planning policy, where policy barriers to rapid housing delivery are identified

Call for sites

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is launching a call for evidence.

Developers, local authorities and landowners are invited to identify large-scale housing developments that are delayed or stuck so the government can better understand the scale of the challenge and evaluate what support it can provide to help overcome barriers to development and accelerate delivery.

We will also be writing to local authorities to request their participation in this process.

How to submit a site

Submissions can be made through an online application form on Citizen Space. This form is designed to capture all the necessary information to assess the site’s current status and the potential for government intervention. Please ensure that your submission meets the following criteria:

1. The site must be a large-scale housing development with significant delays or obstacles preventing progression.
2. We are particularly interested in developments with a capacity over 1,500 units and at all stages of the planning process, but information about smaller sites over 500 would also be welcome to help us boost our evidence base.
3. Priority will be given to sites that are viable without requiring substantial additional government funding or infrastructure investment.

Support may come in various forms, such as strategic advice, planning assistance, or facilitation with stakeholders, depending on the issues that sites are experiencing.

In keeping with published propriety on planning casework decisions, government support for developments which have yet to secure planning permission should not be taken as an indication of likely approval of applications should they come before MHCLG ministers in the future. All planning casework decisions are made in accordance with propriety guidance.

Submitting a site does not guarantee any follow up or government support.

There is no limit on the number of sites you may submit. Each site would require a separate submission.

Next steps

You will receive an automated email confirming receipt of your application. Once the application process has closed, we will review all submissions. Due to the expected high volumes of applications, we may not be able to respond to all submissions. We will be prioritising sites that meet the criteria for intervention.

The application window closes at 11.59pm on Thursday 31 October 2024. Any information received after this date will be forwarded to the New Homes Accelerator Team.

For any enquiries about the New Homes Accelerator or the call for sites, contact newhomesaccelerator@communities.gov.uk.