Overview

• Cotswold District Council says 80% of its land is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and must find 1,036 homes this year, more than double its previous plan of 420.
• Bath and North East Somerset Council warns that exceeding its housing plan by 5,000–6,000 homes by 2029–30 would jeopardize Bath’s UNESCO World Heritage status.
• Arun Council leader Martin Lury argues the uniform targets punish councils for factors beyond their control and set them up to fail.
• The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government maintains revised targets are aligned with local needs and promise homes alongside necessary infrastructure without harming the environment.
• Proposed planning reforms would bypass elected councillors for most applications and remove their veto power over schemes of up to nine houses to speed up approvals.