Conservative councils more reluctant to give permission for new housing – report

Conservative councils appear less willing to grant planning permission for new housing, research by law firm McGrigors has suggested.

The study found that in the 12 months to 31 March 2009, Conservative-controlled local authorities granted planning permission in 63% of cases, compared to 69% in all other authorities.

McGrigors suggested that this was “significant, as Conservatives control is most heavily concentrated in the South East of England, where housing shortages are the most acute”. The firm warned that it could become even harder for developers to gain approval if the party wins the next election.

The Conservatives presently run nine of the ten local planning authorities with the lowest percentage of planning permissions granted for major housing developments, the study also found. Four LPAs – Rochford, Castle Point, Brentwood and Staffordshire Moorlands – have just a 20% approval rate.

Councils are also likely to become more reluctant to grant permission in controversial cases as the election draws closer, McGrigors warned.

Suzanne Gill, a partner at the firm, said: “A slow and expensive planning approval process has contributed to a lack of new housing and, in part, to the boom and bust of property prices. Developers are wondering how a change in government will impact planning policy. There is a concern that a tightening of planning regulations will impact on their ability to deliver projects and make housing a less attractive part of the construction market.”