GE24 MANIFESTO COMPARISON

Key manifesto policies for planning and development

BUSINESS, INDUSTRY AND INFRASTRUCTURE

ENERGY

PLANNING POLICY AND PROCEDURES

HOUSING

ENVIRONMENT

LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND DEVOLUTION

PDF VERSION

Disclaimer: This publication has been written in general terms and cannot be relied on to cover specific situations. We recommend that you obtain professional advice before acting or refraining from acting on any of the contents of this publication. Lichfields accepts no duty of care or liability for any loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from acting as a result of any material in this publication. Lichfields is the trading name of Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners Limited. Registered in England, no.2778116

PLANNING POLICY AND PROCEDURES

PLANNING POLICY AND PROCEDURES

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LABOUR

LIB DEMS

CONSERVATIVES

HOUSING

Strategic planning (format varies)

Planning resourcing

BUSINESS, INDUSTRY AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Review Green Belt policy approach

Incentivising brownfield development

LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND DEVOLUTION

Introduce 'Use it or lose it' procedures for planning permissions, in response to perceived land banking

Reversing December 2023 NPPF changes

ENVIRONMENT

Improving local plan coverage

Setting land aside for local/small builders

ENERGY

Locally led development corporations

Expand neighbourhood planning

Quickening decision making

Disclaimer: This publication has been written in general terms and cannot be relied on to cover specific situations. We recommend that you obtain professional advice before acting or refraining from acting on any of the contents of this publication. Lichfields accepts no duty of care or liability for any loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from acting as a result of any material in this publication. Lichfields is the trading name of Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners Limited. Registered in England, no.2778116

HOUSING

PLANNING POLICY AND PROCEDURES

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LABOUR

LIB DEMS

CONSERVATIVES

HOUSING

1,500,000 homes within the parliament (England)

380,000 a year (UK)

Housebuilding target

1,600,000 homes within the parliament (England)

BUSINESS, INDUSTRY AND INFRASTRUCTURE

no target

no target

150,000

Affordable housing target

Developing New/Garden Towns

devolved

to review

Retaining Right to Buy policy

LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND DEVOLUTION

Reforming Compulsory Purchase Order laws

Scoping Land Value Capture options

ENVIRONMENT

Encouraging rural exception sites

Reforming rental sector

Short term lets control

Leasehold reform

ENERGY

Disclaimer: This publication has been written in general terms and cannot be relied on to cover specific situations. We recommend that you obtain professional advice before acting or refraining from acting on any of the contents of this publication. Lichfields accepts no duty of care or liability for any loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from acting as a result of any material in this publication. Lichfields is the trading name of Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners Limited. Registered in England, no.2778116

BUSINESS, INDUSTRY AND INFRASTRUCTURE

PLANNING POLICY AND PROCEDURES

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LABOUR

LIB DEMS

CONSERVATIVES

HOUSING

Industrial Strategy

Green infrastructure

Public spending on Infrastructure

BUSINESS, INDUSTRY AND INFRASTRUCTURE

High streets policies

Railways expansion

LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND DEVOLUTION

Opposed pending emissions management

Aviation expansion

no expansion

Prisons expansion

ENVIRONMENT

Electric vehicle support

Data Centres policies

Rail freight policies

ENERGY

Freeports and investment zones

Disclaimer: This publication has been written in general terms and cannot be relied on to cover specific situations. We recommend that you obtain professional advice before acting or refraining from acting on any of the contents of this publication. Lichfields accepts no duty of care or liability for any loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from acting as a result of any material in this publication. Lichfields is the trading name of Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners Limited. Registered in England, no.2778116

ENERGY

PLANNING POLICY AND PROCEDURES

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CONSERVATIVES

LABOUR

LIB DEMS

HOUSING

Renewable Energy target

Great British Energy

National power body

Great British Nuclear

No, decentralise

BUSINESS, INDUSTRY AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Offshore wind, Solar 'in the right places', Onshore Wind

Solar, Wind, Marine

Support for renewable energy production (type)

Solar, Wind, Marine

LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND DEVOLUTION

Further role for nuclear power

Gas power stations

Home Insulation

ENVIRONMENT

Investing in battery storage

Fracking ban and new ban on new coal mines

ENERGY

Disclaimer: This publication has been written in general terms and cannot be relied on to cover specific situations. We recommend that you obtain professional advice before acting or refraining from acting on any of the contents of this publication. Lichfields accepts no duty of care or liability for any loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from acting as a result of any material in this publication. Lichfields is the trading name of Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners Limited. Registered in England, no.2778116

ENVIRONMENT

PLANNING POLICY AND PROCEDURES

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LABOUR

LIB DEMS

CONSERVATIVES

HOUSING

increasing BNG up to 100%

Promote biodiversity

BUSINESS, INDUSTRY AND INFRASTRUCTURE

by 2045

accelerating to net zero

pragmatic approach

Net Zero

not specifically

Unlocking homes held back by nutrient neutrality

LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND DEVOLUTION

New buildings to be zero carbon, with immediate effect

ENVIRONMENT

ENERGY

Disclaimer: This publication has been written in general terms and cannot be relied on to cover specific situations. We recommend that you obtain professional advice before acting or refraining from acting on any of the contents of this publication. Lichfields accepts no duty of care or liability for any loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from acting as a result of any material in this publication. Lichfields is the trading name of Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners Limited. Registered in England, no.2778116

ENVIRONMENT

PLANNING POLICY AND PROCEDURES

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LABOUR

LIB DEMS

CONSERVATIVES

HOUSING

increasing BNG up to 100%

Promote biodiversity

BUSINESS, INDUSTRY AND INFRASTRUCTURE

by 2045

accelerating to net zero

pragmatic approach

Net Zero

not specifically

Unlocking homes held back by nutrient neutrality

LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND DEVOLUTION

New buildings to be zero carbon, with immediate effect

ENVIRONMENT

ENERGY

Disclaimer: This publication has been written in general terms and cannot be relied on to cover specific situations. We recommend that you obtain professional advice before acting or refraining from acting on any of the contents of this publication. Lichfields accepts no duty of care or liability for any loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from acting as a result of any material in this publication. Lichfields is the trading name of Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners Limited. Registered in England, no.2778116

LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND DEVOLUTION

PLANNING POLICY AND PROCEDURES

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LABOUR

LIB DEMS

CONSERVATIVES

HOUSING

Devolution witihin England

Business Rates Reform

BUSINESS, INDUSTRY AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Devolve transport decision-making

Economic geography policies

LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND DEVOLUTION

Enhance powers over community assets

ENVIRONMENT

ENERGY

Disclaimer: This publication has been written in general terms and cannot be relied on to cover specific situations. We recommend that you obtain professional advice before acting or refraining from acting on any of the contents of this publication. Lichfields accepts no duty of care or liability for any loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from acting as a result of any material in this publication. Lichfields is the trading name of Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners Limited. Registered in England, no.2778116

Lib Dems

Economic geography policies

Working with the devolved administrations to develop joint policies and partnerships to boost growth across the UK. Continuing to champion investment in the Northern Powerhouse, Western Gateway and Midlands Engine.

Lib Dems

Unlocking homes held back by nutrient neutrality

Not specifically. There are policies on water pollution. Including:

• Strengthening the powers of local authorities to monitor the health of our rivers, lakes and coastlines, restore our natural environment and tackle climate change.
• Creating a Joint Climate Council of the Nations to tackle the climate emergency by helping to foster innovation and encourage collaborative action.

Labour

Railways expansion

Reform focussed on service and ownership (through Great British Railways - bringing them into public ownership) alongside plan to "forge ahead with new railways and other nationally significant infrastructure'.

Labour

Reversing Decmber 2023 NPPF changes

Immediately update NPPF to remove changes and 'restore' mandatory housing targets.

Lib Dems

Renewable Energy target

Invest in renewable power so that 90% of the UK’s electricity is generated from renewables by 2030. Reducing emissions from industrial processes by supporting carbon capture and storage and new low-carbon processes for cement and steel production.

Labour

Net Zero

Labour will ensure the institutional framework for policy making reflects commitment to reach net zero.

Lib Dems

Encouraging rural exception sites

Encouraging the use of rural exception sites to expand rural housing.

Conservatives

Short term lets control

Pledge to ensure councils have powers to manage the uncontrolled growth of holiday lets.

Lib Dems

Incentivising brownfield development

Encouraging development of existing brownfield sites with financial incentives and ensuring that affordable and social housing is included in these projects

Conservatives

National power body

Plan to build on work establishing Great British Nuclear. Halve the time it takes for new nuclear reactors to be approved. Help the UK to become a net exporter of electricity.

Labour

Promote biodiversity

Commitment to promote biodiversity.

Labour

High streets policies

Reforming business rate system in favour of high street uses, supporting small businesses through the British Business Bank.

Lib Dems

New buildings to be zero carbon, with immediate effect

Immediately requiring all new homes and non-domestic buildings to be built to a zero-carbon standard, including being fitted with solar panels, and progressively increasing standards as technology improves.

Labour

Electric vehicle support

Accelerating the roll out of charge points, giving certainty to manufacturers by restoring the phase-out date of 2030 for new cars with internal combustion engines.

Conservatives

Business Rates Reform

Pledge to enable councils to retain all business rates growth within a defined zone for 25 years, which they can use to finance the delivery of new infrastructure and invest in supporting burgeoning local industries.

Labour

Data centres

Removing planning barriers to new data centres.

Labour

Incentivising brownfield development

Brownfield first through fast-tracking approval of urban brownfield sites.

Conservatives

Railways expansion

Recommitment to Northern Powerhouse Rail. Re-routing HS2 funding to deliver the section of Northern Powerhouse Rail between Manchester and Liverpool, electrification to Hull, a new station in Bradford. Recommitment to the Midlands Rail hub. Pledge to upgrade the line between Newark and Nottingham and halve journey times between Nottingham and Leeds.

Conservatives

Support for renewable energy production (Type)

Treble offshore wind capacity to "support the development of vibrant industrial clusters in places like the North East of England, Scotland and Wales." Plan to build the first two carbon capture and storage clusters, based across North Wales and, the North West of England and Teesside and the Humber, with progress the second tranche of projects in Aberdeenshire and the Humber. Solar supported in the "right places, not on best agricultural land". Ensure democratic consent for onshore wind, striking the right balance between energy security and the views of their local communities.

Labour

Affordable housing target

Pledge to deliver the 'biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation'. Strengthen planning obligations to ensure new developments provide more affordable homes; prioritisation of social rented housing; amendments to affordable housing programme.

Lib Dems

Retaining Right to Buy policy

Giving local authorities, including National Park Authorities, the powers to end Right to Buy in their areas.

Conservatives

Devolution witihin England

By 2030, every part of England that wants one will have a devolution deal. Plan to offer ‘level 4’ devolution powers to areas in England with a devolution deal and a directly elected leader, starting with the Tees Valley.

Conservatives

Locally led development corporations

Will use development corporations to support the delivery of new quarters in Leeds, Liverpool and York, as well as realising the Cambridge 2050 plan.

Lib Dems

Unlocking homes held back by nutrient neutrality

Not specifically. There are policies on water pollution. Including:

• Strengthening the powers of local authorities to monitor the health of our rivers, lakes and coastlines, restore our natural environment and tackle climate change.
• Creating a Joint Climate Council of the Nations to tackle the climate emergency by helping to foster innovation and encourage collaborative action.

Conservatives

Incentivising brownfield development

Look at extending ‘full expensing’ to the delivery of brownfield housing.

Lib Dems

Promote biodiversity

Ensuring new developments result in significant net gain for biodiversity, with up to a 100% net gain for large developments. Set meaningful and binding targets to stop the decline of our natural environment and ‘double nature’ by 2050: doubling the size of the Protected Area Network, doubling the area of most important wildlife habitats, doubling the abundance of species and doubling woodland cover by 2050. Empowering Local Nature Recovery Strategies to identify a new Wild Belt for nature’s recovery. Strengthen the Office for Environmental Protection and provide more funding to the Environment Agency and Natural England to help protect our environment and enforce environmental laws.

Labour

Quickening decision making

New national policy statements, 'slashing red tape' and building support for developments by ensuring communities directly benefit. Updated national planning policy to ensure the planning system meets the needs of a modern economy for e.g. new laboratories, digital infrastructure, and gigafactories.

Labour

Further role for Nuclear power

Support for Hinkley Point C, Sizewell C, and small modular reactors.

Lib Dems

Electric vehicle support

Make it cheaper and easier for drivers to switch to electric vehicles by rapidly rolling out far more charging points, reintroducing the plug-in car grant, and restoring the requirement that every new car and small van sold from 2030 is zero-emission.

Lib Dems

Developing New/ Garden Towns

Build ten new garden cities

Lib Dems

Enhance powers over community assets

Enhance powers over community assets to help local authorities protect pubs, community farms, and other vital infrastructure.

Lib Dems

Devolve transport decision-making

Devolve greater decision-making powers and resources to local authorities in England to design public transport infrastructure around community needs, including powers to introduce network-wide ticketing as in London.

Conservatives

Review Green Belt policy approach

Retaining a "cast-iron commitment" to protect the Green Belt from uncontrolled development, while ensuring more homes get built where in areas such as in inner cities; no requirement to remove Green Belt protection.

Lib Dems

Strategic planning (format varies)

Introduce a strategic Land and Sea Use Framework to effectively balance competing demands

Lib Dems

Home Insulation

Make homes warmer and cheaper to heat with a ten-year emergency upgrade programme, starting with free insulation and heat pumps for those on low incomes, and ensure that all new homes are zero-carbon.

Conservatives

High streets policies

Plan to change planning laws to support places to bring back local market days and regenerate defunct shopping centres.

Conservatives

Public spending on Infrastructure

£36 billion of HS2 savings on transport projects in the north or midlands £12 billion on top of our HS2 savings to deliver the section of Northern Powerhouse Rail between Manchester and Liverpool. £6.5 billion for transport across the rest of the country £8.3 billion to fill potholes and resurface roads £8.55 billion to spend on 'local priorities' £1.75 billion to fund the Midlands Rail Hub. £1 billion to support new bus routes across the North and Midlands £1 billion of investment and alleviate pinch points on the A75

Labour

Unlocking homes held back by nutrient neutrality

Implement solutions to unlock the building of homes affected by nutrient neutrality without weakening environmental protections.

Conservatives

Electric vehicle support

References success of automated vehicle legislation and commitment to ensuring charging infrastructure is 'truly nationwide', including rapid charging and delivering the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate.

Lib Dems

Rail freight policies

Introducing a national freight strategy to move as much freight as possible from road to rail, supported by a freight growth target and electrification of freight routes

Labour

Gas power stations

Maintain a strategic reserve of gas power stations.

Labour

Support for renewable energy production (Type)

Increase solar power capacity by triple and offshore wind capacity by quadruple by 2030. Investment in carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and marine energy, and investment in nuclear power generation.

Labour

Improving local plan coverage

Taking "tough action" to ensure that planning authorities have up to date local plans reform and strengthen the presumption in favour of sustainable development.

Labour

Enhance powers over community assets

Give communities the 'right to buy’ community assets to revamp high streets and address empty premises.

Labour

Rail freight policies

Introduction of a duty to promote and grow the use of rail freight

Labour

Strategic planning (format varies)

Sub regional planning to be introduced, 'effective measures for cross boundary working' and giving mayors new powers over strategic planning in combined authorities with binding house building targets. Role of local communities continue to shape housebuilding in their area, but Govenrment would make 'full use of intervention powers to build the houses needed'.

Labour

Locally led development corporations

New development corporations with the power to remove planning blockages for New Towns.

Conservatives

Encouraging rural exception sites

Pledge to ensure rural exception sites support local people into home ownership. Will create a dedicated taskforce in Homes England to deliver on the mission set out in their Rural Housing Statement to invest in regeneration and build high quality homes.

Conservatives

Quickening decision making

Key pledge to simplify the planning system to make it easier and faster to build infrastructure by speeding up the average time it takes to sign off major infrastructure projects from four years to one. Want to ensure any requirements to offset the impact of new infrastructure and homes on an area are proportionate, without compromising environmental outcomes. Want to reduce the cost of infrastructure by allowing quicker changes to consented projects. Pledge to end "frivolous legal challenges that frustrate infrastructure delivery" by amending the law so judicial reviews that don’t have merit do not waste court time. Pledge to reform the planning system to deliver fast track permissions for the building of infrastructure on farms, such as glasshouses, slurry and grain stores, and small-scale reservoirs.

Lib Dems

Housebuilding target

Increasing building of new homes to 380,000 a year across the UK

Labour

Devolution witihin England

Local Growth Plans, multi-year funding settlements and devolution legislation. 'Deepen' settlements for existing Combined Authorities. 'Widen' devolution to more areas, for neighbouring local authorities to come together and take on new powers.

Lib Dems

Affordable housing target

150,000 social homes a year, through new garden cities and community-led development of cities and towns.

Conservatives

Net Zero

Pledge to cut the cost of net zero for consumers by taking a more pragmatic approach, guaranteeing no new green levies or charges while accelerating the rollout of renewables.

Conservatives

Housebuilding target

Deliver 1.6 million well-designed homes in the right places while protecting the countryside.

Lib Dems

Net Zero

Appoint a Chief Secretary for Sustainability in the Treasury to ensure that the economy is sustainable, resource-efficient and zero-carbon, establish a new Net Zero Delivery Authority to coordinate action across government departments and work with devolved administrations, and hand more powers and resources to local councils for local net zero strategies. Strengthen the Office for Environmental Protection and provide more funding to the Environment Agency and Natural England to help protect our environment and enforce environmental laws. Requiring the National Infrastructure Commission to take fully into account the environmental implications of all national infrastructure decisions.

Conservatives

Reforming rental sector

Pledge to introduce a two-year temporary Capital Gains Tax relief for landlords who sell to their existing tenants. Will pass a Renters Reform Bill that will deliver fairness in the rental market for landlords and renters alike. This will involve fully abolishing Section 21 and strengthening other grounds for landlords to evict private tenants engaging in anti-social behaviour.

Lib Dems

Short term lets control

Give communities more control over the number of second homes and short-term lets in their areas. Give local authorities new powers to control second homes and short-term lets in their areas by:

• Allowing them to increase council tax by up to 500% where homes are being bought as second homes, with a stamp duty surcharge on overseas residents purchasing such properties.

• Creating a new planning class for these properties.

Lib Dems

Net Zero

Appoint a Chief Secretary for Sustainability in the Treasury to ensure that the economy is sustainable, resource-efficient and zero-carbon, establish a new Net Zero Delivery Authority to coordinate action across government departments and work with devolved administrations, and hand more powers and resources to local councils for local net zero strategies. Strengthen the Office for Environmental Protection and provide more funding to the Environment Agency and Natural England to help protect our environment and enforce environmental laws. Requiring the National Infrastructure Commission to take fully into account the environmental implications of all national infrastructure decisions.

Lib Dems

Public spending on Infrastructure

Invest in green infrastructure, innovation and skills to boost economic growth and create good jobs and prosperity in every nation and region of the UK, while tackling the climate crisis.

Lib Dems

Fracking ban and new ban on new coal mines

Maintaining the ban on fracking and introducing a ban on new coal mines.

Conservatives

Enhance powers over community assets

Pledge to extend the Community Ownership Fund to help more communities across the UK take control of community assets like pubs, music venues, libraries, green spaces, leisure centres and more.

Conservatives

Unlocking homes held back by nutrient neutrality

Pledge to abolish the legacy EU ‘nutrient neutrality’ rules to "immediately unlock the building of 100,000 new homes" with local consent, with developers required in law to pay a one-off mitigation fee so there is no net additional pollution.

Lib Dems

Promote biodiversity

Ensuring new developments result in significant net gain for biodiversity, with up to a 100% net gain for large developments. Set meaningful and binding targets to stop the decline of our natural environment and ‘double nature’ by 2050: doubling the size of the Protected Area Network, doubling the area of most important wildlife habitats, doubling the abundance of species and doubling woodland cover by 2050. Empowering Local Nature Recovery Strategies to identify a new Wild Belt for nature’s recovery. Strengthen the Office for Environmental Protection and provide more funding to the Environment Agency and Natural England to help protect our environment and enforce environmental laws.

Labour

Business Rates Reform

Reform of business rates system, revenue neutral but implemented in a 'fairer way'

Conservatives

Further role for Nuclear power

Plan to deliver a new gigawatt power plant at Wylfa in North Wales and work with industry to deliver existing projects at Hinkley Point and Sizewell. Plan to approve two new fleets of Small Modular Reactors within 100 days of a parliament.

Conservatives

Unlocking homes held back by nutrient neutrality

Pledge to abolish the legacy EU ‘nutrient neutrality’ rules to "immediately unlock the building of 100,000 new homes" with local consent, with developers required in law to pay a one-off mitigation fee so there is no net additional pollution.

Labour

Promote biodiversity

Commitment to promote biodiversity.

Labour

Renewable Energy target

Clean Power by 2030. A new Energy Independence Act to establish the framework for Labour’s energy and climate policies including a target of clean power by 2030.

Lib Dems

Reforming Compulsory Purchase Order laws

Allowing councils to buy land for housing based on current use value rather than on a hope-value basis by reforming the Land Compensation Act 1961

Labour

Leasehold reform

Enact the package of Law Commission proposals on leasehold enfranchisement, right to manage and commonhold. Ban new leasehold flats and ensure commonhold is the default tenure.

Lib Dems

Introduce 'Use it or lose it' procedures for planning permissions, in response to perceived land banking

Introducing ‘use-it-or-lose-it’ planning permission for developers who "refuse to build".

Conservatives

Gas power stations

New gas power stations to maintain a safe and reliable energy source for days when the weather doesn’t power up renewables. Build the first two carbon capture and storage clusters, based across North Wales and the North West of England and Teesside and the Humber, and progress the second tranche of projects in Aberdeenshire and the Humber.

Labour

Net Zero

Labour will ensure the institutional framework for policy making reflects commitment to reach net zero.

Lib Dems

Leasehold reform

Abolishing residential leaseholds and capping ground rents to a nominal fee, so that everyone has control over their property.

Labour

Housebuilding target

Increasing building of new homes to 300,000 a year across the UK, under mandatory targets. Delivery achieved through brownfield urban sites, new garden cities, grey belt land and full local plan coverage.

Labour

Expand neighbourhood planning

Pledge to expand neighbourhood planning across England.

Conservatives

Rail freight policies

Pledge to support the growth of the rail freight sector.

Conservatives

Promote biodiversity

Re-commitment to BNG. Commitment to 'cut red tape that holds back the planting of trees in the planning system' by identifying particularly suitable areas for tree planting where processes and permits will be streamlined. Also a commitment to planting more trees, through Nature for Climate funding and launching a new design competition for urban greening.

Lib Dems

Railways expansion

Urgently establishing a new Railway Agency: a public body which would help to join up the industry – from track to train – putting commuters first, holding train companies to account, and bringing in wholesale reform of the broken fare system. Delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail to connect cities across the North of England.

Labour

National power body

Great British Energy introduced to invest in capital-intensive projects for local energy production capitalised with £8.3 billion over the next parliament.

Labour

Prisons expansion

Commitment to "use all relevant powers to build new prisons"

Conservatives

Scoping Land Value Capture options

Will make sure local authorities use the new Infrastructure Levy to deliver the GP surgeries, roads and other local infrastructure needed to support homes.

Labour

Home Insulation

Warm Homes Plan to invest an extra £6.6 billion to support houshold insulation and other improvements such as solar panels, batteries and low carbon heating.

Labour

Review Green Belt policy approach

The release of lower quality ‘grey belt’ land will be prioritised with development expected to meet new 'golden rules’ to ensure development benefits communities and nature.

Labour

Reforming Compulsory Purchase Order laws

Reform CPO compensation rules to improve land assembly, speed up site delivery, and deliver housing, infrastructure, amenity, and transport benefits in the public interest.

Conservatives

Reversing Decmber 2023 NPPF changes

Two commitments to existing 'national planning policy' in relation to onshore wind and green belt, both of which sit in the NPPF.

Conservatives

Leasehold reform

Pledge to complete the process of leasehold reform, to improve the lives of over four million leaseholders, capping ground rents at £250, reducing them to peppercorn over time. Promise to "end the misuse of forfeiture so leaseholders don’t lose their property and capital unfairly and make it easier to take up commonhold."

Lib Dems

Industrial strategy

Develop an industrial strategy that will give businesses certainty and incentivise them to invest in new technologies to grow the economy, create good jobs and tackle the climate crisis. Launching an ambitious industrial strategy to incentivise businesses to invest and create good jobs across the UK Re-establish the Industrial Strategy Council and put it on a statutory footing, to ensure vital oversight, monitoring and evaluation of the industrial strategy for the long term. Requiring the National Infrastructure Commission to take fully into account the environmental implications of all national infrastructure decisions.

Lib Dems

Business Rates Reform

Boost small businesses and empower them to create new local jobs, including by abolishing business rates and replacing them with a Commercial Landowner Levy to help our high streets.

Labour

Industrial strategy

Establishment of an Industrial Strategy Council, on a statutory footing.

Labour

Public spending on Infrastructure

£1.8 billion to upgrade ports and build supply chains across the UK. £1.5 billion to new gigafactories for electric cars. £2.5 billion to rebuild 'our steel industry'. £1 billion to accelerate the deployment of carbon capture. £500 million to support the manufacturing of green hydrogen

Conservatives

Prisons expansion

20,000 new prison places and four new prisons by 2030. Want to make it easier to build prisons in appropriate places by scrapping legacy EU rules and streamlining the planning system.

Conservatives

Developing New/ Garden Towns

Instead of new towns/garden cities pledge to raise density levels in inner London to those of European cities like Paris and Barcelona and, through locally led urban development corporations deliver "new quarters" in Leeds, Liverpool and York alongside working with local leaders and the community for the Cambridge 2050 plan.

Labour

Reforming rental sector

Legislate to overhaul the regulation of the private rented sector, including ending 'no fault' evictions, empowering renters to challenge unreasonable rent increases, and extending ‘Awaab’s Law’ to the private sector.

Labour

Developing New/ Garden Towns

A 'handful' of new towns alongside a new generation of urban extensions and regeneration projects.

Conservatives

Retaining Right to Buy policy

Pledge to rule out Labour’s "anti-aspiration" move to drastically reduce Right to Buy discounts and instead protect the laws that ensure the discounts rise with inflation and fight any plan by local authorities to abolish the Right to Buy altogether.

Lib Dems

Aviation expansion

Banning short domestic flights where a direct rail option taking less than 2.5 hours is available for the same journey, unless planes are alternative-fuelled. Placing a moratorium on net airport expansion until a national capacity and emissions management framework is in place, and opposing the expansion of Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted or London City airports and any new airport in the Thames Estuary

Lib Dems

New buildings to be zero carbon, with immediate effect

Immediately requiring all new homes and non-domestic buildings to be built to a zero-carbon standard, including being fitted with solar panels, and progressively increasing standards as technology improves.

Labour

Economic geography policies

New statutory requirement for Local Growth Plans that cover towns and cities across the country to produce long-term plans that identify growth sectors and put in place the programmes and infrastructure they need to thrive.

Conservatives

Freeports and investment zones

Extend Freeport opportunities to more areas and set out an application round in the next Parliament. Continue backing Investment Zones across the country, giving areas £160 million to catalyse local growth and investment.

Conservatives

Net Zero

Pledge to cut the cost of net zero for consumers by taking a more pragmatic approach, guaranteeing no new green levies or charges while accelerating the rollout of renewables.

Conservatives

Economic geography policies

Promise to provide 105 towns in the UK with a £20 million endowment fund for local people to change their town’s future. Pledge to extend the UK Shared Prosperity Fund for three years at the next Spending Review, before using this funding to support UK-wide National Service.

Labour

Unlocking homes held back by nutrient neutrality

Implement solutions to unlock the building of homes affected by nutrient neutrality without weakening environmental protections.

Labour

Devolve transport decision-making

Great British Railway to be accountable to devolved regoinal bodies. Setting a long termstrategy to integrate andreflect the ambitions of devolved and regional and national stakeholders into a single coherent strategy for the railway, underpinned by regionally and nationally focused delivery plans.

Conservatives

Affordable housing target

Renew the Affordable Homes Programme and will deliver homes of all tenures and focus on regenerating and improving housing estates.

Lib Dems

Scoping Land Value Capture options

Trialling Community Land Auctions to ensure that local communities receive a fair share of the benefits of new development in their areas and to help fund vital local services.

Conservatives

Setting land aside for local/small builders

Pledge to require councils to set land aside for local/small builders and lifting Section 106 burdens on more smaller sites, while ruling out Labour’s proposed ‘community right to appeal’.

Conservatives

Home Insulation

£6 billion to energy efficiency over the next three years to make around a million homes warmer. Voucher scheme to support the installation energy efficiency measures and solar panels.

Conservatives

Promote biodiversity

Re-commitment to BNG. Commitment to 'cut red tape that holds back the planting of trees in the planning system' by identifying particularly suitable areas for tree planting where processes and permits will be streamlined. Also a commitment to planting more trees, through Nature for Climate funding and launching a new design competition for urban greening.

Lib Dems

Support for renewable energy production (Type)

Solar, Wind, Marine: Removing the Conservatives' restrictions on new solar and wind power, and supporting investment and innovation in tidal and wave power in particular. Drive a rooftop solar revolution by expanding incentives for households to install solar panels, including a guaranteed fair price for electricity sold back into the grid.

Labour

Retaining Right to Buy policy

Review right to buy, to 'protect existing stock' and prioritise the building of new social rented homes.

Lib Dems

Reforming rental sector

Delivering a fair deal for renters by immediately banning no-fault evictions, making three-year tenancies the default, and creating a national register of licensed landlords. Help people who cannot afford a deposit to own their own homes by introducing a new Rent to Own model for social housing where rent payments give tenants an increasing stake in the property, owning it outright after 30 years. Protect the rights of social renters by:

• Proactively enforcing clear standards for homes that are socially rented, including strict time limits for repairs.
• Fully recognising tenant panels so that renters have a voice in landlord governance.
• Repeal the Conservatives’ ‘Right to Rent’ scheme

Conservatives

Renewable Energy target

Onus on energy security, manufacturing and becoming a 'net exporter' of electricity, with a focus on a transition to greener policies, inlcuding through carbon capture.

Lib Dems

Devolution witihin England

Decentralise decision-making from Whitehall and Westminster by inviting local areas to take control of the services that matter to them most. Establish national and local citizens’ assemblies to give people real involvement in the decisions needed to tackle climate change.

Lib Dems

Planning resourcing

Properly funding local planning departments to improve planning outcomes and ensure housing is not built in areas of high flood risk without adequate mitigation, by allowing local authorities to set their own fees.

Labour

Planning resourcing

300 new planning officers paid for by taxing foreign property buyers