Councils to lose ability to block large housing developments

Under new plans set out by housing secretary Steve Reed, local councils will be told they cannot block projects of more than 150 homes, with the Government having the final say if they go ahead.

Currently, councils are only made to refer large-scale projects if they believe they breach national planning guidelines.

Sources told the Times this would put ministers in “the driving seat”, allowing them to force through developments if necessary.

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Announcing his plans to reform Britain’s house-building plans, Mr Reed said: “The changes we are making today will strengthen the seismic shift already under way through our landmark Bill.

"We will 'build, baby, build' with 1.5 million new homes and communities that working people desperately want and need."

The Government has pledged to break ground on 1.5 million new homes within the current Parliament.

To that end it is attempting to slash planning and building red tape, though recent house building stats have shown that fewer homes were approved between April and June 2025 than in the previous year.

Mr Reed branded the figures "unacceptable".

In Labour's bid to build more homes, the Housing Secretary announced at the Labour Party's conference that work will begin on three "new towns" before the next election.

They are among 12 sites for development the Government has selected, which could collectively result in 300,000 houses being built across England.