Labour is preventing Britain from building again (Image: Getty)
When Conservative YIMBY launched in May, by my think tank Onward, we promised unapologetic action on housing. Within weeks, our Eight Quick Fixes to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill proposal was making headlines and driving serious Parliamentary debate. At our summer party last month – a buzzing evening of energy and ambition featuring more than 200 young Conservatives – we launched our latest major intervention: the Conservative YIMBY London Plan.
The then Shadow Secretary of State for Housing Kevin Hollinrake joined us, donning one of our “Build Baby Build” caps and giving his backing to a movement that is setting the agenda for a modern, pro-growth centre-right. Since that night, we met Kevin’s predecessor James Cleverly as one of his first meetings on the job – and filmed a punchy video with him and Kemi Badenoch in north London on how we need to get Britain building again.
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The momentum of this movement is real – and our YIMBY London Plan is no abstract theory. It’s a set of bold, practical policies designed to cut the red tape strangling our cities and allow more housebuilding.
We propose scrapping late-stage viability reviews that delay schemes and punish ambition. Developers who deliver affordable housing early should be fast-tracked, not penalised. We argue that if a developer exceeds targets with high-quality housing, they should earn automatic bonuses in height and density – not be tied up in even more bureaucracy.
Planning decisions must be timely and rules must have teeth: where local councils block schemes that meet their own policies, applicants should be able to appeal directly to the Mayor of London or Secretary of State to secure automatic permission.
We want to see fast-track planning routes made more viable for small and medium-sized developers by reducing the blunt 35% affordable threshold – particularly in areas with high land costs. Purpose-built student accommodation should be encouraged, not blocked, because it frees up family housing.
Development around transport hubs should be dense by default, with a minimum height of seven storeys near stations and a zero-tolerance approach to underdevelopment on public land.
We also call for the legalisation of mansion blocks – one of London’s most elegant and efficient housing types, yet often effectively banned under today’s rules.
The so-called Green Belt needs to be looked at honestly: of course we should protect areas of beauty and environmental significance, but we must also acknowledge that much is not green at all, but scrubland, car parks and dereliction. Those areas – particularly in the capital’s outer boroughs – should be unlocked to deliver beautiful, well-connected communities.
And we want to abolish planning barriers like Article 4 directions (used by local authorities to remove permitted development rights from specific areas) and dual-aspect requirements (which specify minimum window requirements), which frustrate delivery without improving quality.
This isn’t just talk. Already, Conservative YIMBY has shaped legislation. Two of our quick fixes – including a new “proportionality principle” and a reform to stop the weaponisation of neighbourhood plans – have been tabled as amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill in the House of Lords by Lord Banner KC.
Our tangible impact is real and growing. Onward, official partners with the Conservative Party on housing, has shown the underlying economic truth: Britain’s productivity is flat, growth is stalling, and housing supply is a key culprit.
France has nearly seven million more homes than we do, despite a similar population. It also builds infrastructure faster, delivers cheaper energy, and unlocks investment more effectively – because it allows its cities to grow. We don’t. And we are paying the price.
The politics are simple. Labour talked a big game on planning reform, but within a week of entering government had already surrendered to obscure pressure groups, weakening their own flagship bill. While they dither, we’re offering a clear blueprint that’s pro-market, pro-growth and unapologetically Conservative.
Kevin Hollinrake captured the spirit perfectly when he told our audience that, in his entire time as an MP, he has never blocked a housing development in his constituency. That is what leadership looks like.
We are now launching our Conservative YIMBY Parliamentary Champions programme – a new initiative to identify and promote the MPs and peers who are prepared to say the same. The first wave will be announced at our Builders Rally at Conservative Party Conference this October – on track to be the biggest fringe event this year.
And this isn’t just about London. Whether it’s Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester or Milton Keynes, Britain’s urban economy is being throttled by a planning system built for a different age. We need clarity, speed, and certainty – combined with a bold vision of what a growing country looks like.
We stand for a simple idea: to deliver ownership, opportunity and prosperity, Britain must start building again. We’re ready. The only question is: who’s coming with us?
Sir Simon Clarke is Chairman of Conservative YIMBY