Deputy Prime Minister under pressure as MPs demand a ‘progressive alternative’ to developer-led planning system
Angela Rayner is facing mounting pressure from her own party’s backbenches as MPs prepare to debate the Government’s flagship Planning and Infrastructure Bill, with growing calls to dismantle the current “developer-led” housebuilding model in favour of a more community-focused approach.
Labour MP Chris Hinchliff has emerged as a prominent voice for change, tabling a number of amendments to the Bill. The North East Hertfordshire MP is urging the Government to equip local councils with greater powers to block developers who fail to complete existing projects, and to allow appeals against large-scale developments not aligned with local building plans.
Speaking to the PA news agency ahead of the two-day debate beginning Monday, Mr Hinchliff said he is not looking to rebel, but is prepared to force a vote if his proposals are not seriously considered. “I don’t want to rebel,” he said. “But I will if it’s necessary to achieve a progressive alternative to our planning system and the developer-led, profit-motivated model that we have at the moment.”
He added, “Frankly, to deliver the genuinely affordable housing that we need for communities like those I represent, we just have to smash that model.”
Among his suggestions is a new duty for authorities to protect chalk streams – delicate water sources under increasing threat – from pollution, abstraction, and encroachment. His proposals also include compelling developers to improve the conservation status of land prior to construction.
Mr Hinchliff, whose constituency lies between London and Cambridge, argues that much of the current housebuilding activity is profit-driven and ill-suited to local need. “The properties that are being built are not there to meet local need,” he said. “They’re there to be sold for the maximum profit the developer can make.”
He warned that this has led to speculative applications that bypass councils’ housing strategies, placing undue pressure on already overstretched infrastructure.
Responding to potential criticism over whether his plans align with Labour’s wider economic goals, Mr Hinchliff said: “If we want to have the key workers that our communities need – the nurses, the social care workers, the bus drivers, the posties – they need to have genuinely affordable homes. You can’t have that thriving economy without the workforce.”
He added: “It’s effectively turning the towns into commuter dormitories rather than having thriving local economies, so for me, yes, it is about supporting the local economy.”
Angela Rayner, who also serves as Housing Secretary, is spearheading Labour’s pledge to build 1.5 million homes across England by 2029. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is central to that mission, aiming to streamline the planning process while balancing environmental and democratic oversight.
One key proposal allows ministers to decide which developments should be reviewed by local councillors and which should be delegated to planning officers, with the aim of freeing up committee time for more contentious or complex cases.
Additionally, Natural England would gain new powers to draft environmental delivery plans (EDPs) and acquire land for conservation purposes. Mr Hinchliff has pushed for these EDPs to be time-bound and implemented before developers are allowed to cause environmental damage.
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At least 43 cross-party MPs are reported to support Mr Hinchliff’s environmental amendments. However, not all in the Labour Party are on board.
Chris Curtis, MP for Milton Keynes North, cautioned that Hinchliff’s proposals could worsen the housing crisis. “Some of these proposals, if enacted, would deepen our housing crisis and push more families into poverty,” he said.
“I won’t stand by and watch more children in the country end up struggling in temporary accommodation to appease pressure groups. No Labour MP should. It’s morally reprehensible to play games with this issue. These amendments should be withdrawn.”
MPs are expected to spend Monday and Tuesday poring over the Bill and proposed changes, with the debate promising to test Labour unity and define the party’s long-term vision for housing in Britain.
