Major planning reform plans unveiled by Housing Secretary Steve Reed will allow housing developments within a 15-minute walk of train and tram stations to gain automatic approval. The proposals, announced in England this week, signal a more interventionist stance designed to speed up building and potentially reshape future housing supply – a move landlords and investors will be watching closely.
Housing development rules to be relaxed near stations
Under the plans, councils will be required to notify the government if they intend to refuse major developments of more than 150 homes, with ministers able to override local decisions. Reed framed the policy as a push for delivery rather than delay, arguing that well-connected locations should become the priority for national housebuilding strategies.
Reed said: “We’re making it easier to build well-connected and high-quality homes, using stronger powers to speed things up if councils drag their feet, and proposing to streamline the consultation process to cut back delays.
This is about action: spades in the ground, breathing new life into communities, and families finally getting the homes they need.”
The reforms will also apply to parts of the Green Belt, signalling the clearest shift in national planning stance for more than a decade. The government claims the changes could reduce statutory consultation requirements by up to 40%, cutting years off project timelines.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves described the plans as the start of “the biggest era of housebuilding in this country’s history.”
For landlords, accelerated development could eventually shape local market dynamics – but many will note that increased supply remains years away, while rental demand remains high today.
Implications for landlords, investors and the wider housing market
Industry reaction has been both optimistic and cautious. While many developers welcome faster planning decisions, analysts have warned that centralised approvals could introduce new bottlenecks if existing planning capacity is not improved at local levels.
Rico Wojtulewicz, Head of Policy and Market Insight at the National Federation of Builders (NFB), described the reforms as:
“A considerable opportunity to enable organic placemaking and stimulate housing supply, particularly in relation to density.”
He said the shift could finally bring planning certainty and support viable development strategies around existing transport infrastructure.
Richard Beresford, Chief Executive at the National Federation of Builders, commented:
“Building around existing transport infrastructure is the organic placemaking the nation has been crying out for. It will provide planning certainty – helping projects become viable and speeding up delivery of homes.”
But others argue local control risks being overridden.
Fergus Charlton, Partner at Michelmores, warned:
“Expanding the Minister’s ability to call-in applications is likely to undermine local democracy and will not necessarily speed up the planning process.”
Similarly, Will Thomas, Partner in Planning at Browne Jacobson, pointed out that shifting decisions to central government may simply move delays elsewhere:
“Bypassing local authorities may still require a Planning Inspectorate already stretched, raising questions over capacity and whether a better solution would be resourcing local planning departments properly.”
For landlords and investors, the longer-term question is how – and whether – these reforms will meaningfully increase housing supply in areas already facing intense rental demand. Faster approval does not automatically deliver development, particularly in regions where viability assessments have stalled previously approved schemes.
Developer confidence growing
Reed’s approach marks a clear move towards pro-building policy, and early signals suggest developers are preparing to re-assess stalled proposals near rail and tram networks. Several planning specialists have also noted that the automatic approval mechanism could shift the tone of local engagement, reducing lengthy disputes and NIMBY-driven refusals.
Buy-to-let mortgage providers have also suggested that if the policy boosts construction output, it could support a longer-term easing of price pressures – although the short and medium-term outlook still points to insufficient supply and rising rental competition.
For investors already in the market, the proposals may reinforce confidence that the long-term fundamentals remain strong, despite policy uncertainty elsewhere, including the Renters’ Rights Act and ongoing tax debates.
Editor’s view
This policy marks the most assertive shift in planning dynamics since the National Planning Policy Framework was introduced. Whether it succeeds depends on delivery rather than ambition. If the government accelerates approvals without addressing local planning capacity, the system risks new choke points. But if executed well, the reforms could reshape where and how housing supply emerges over the next decade. For landlords and investors, the key question is whether these homes will be built quickly enough to influence availability, affordability and local rental yields – or remain a political promise rather than a pipeline reality.
Author: Editorial team – UK landlord and buy-to-let news, policy, and finance
Published: 19 November 2025
Sources: Official government announcement; NFB; Michelmores; Browne Jacobson; Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
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