The government must go further than its initial wave of planning reforms if it is to deliver the homes the country needs and harness the property sector as a driver of economic growth, a senior figure at Carter Jonas has said ahead of the Labour Party Conference.

Francis Truss (main picture, inset), partner at the consultancy, welcomed proposals such as the release of so-called “grey belt” land and the return of mandatory housing targets, but described them as “far from sufficient” to meet demand.

He pointed to London as a case study of the challenges facing developers, citing Home Builders Federation figures showing completions in the capital fell by 12% in the year to June 2025, while approvals of new residential schemes slumped to their lowest level since records began in 2006.

“Affordable housing requirements, new levies, changing building regulations and biodiversity net gain can cumulatively tip schemes from viable to unviable,” Truss warned.

LACK OF INFRASTRUCTURE

Truss said the Greater London Authority had already recognised the pressures and begun reducing planning gain requirements, and argued that national government may have to follow suit. Larger projects, he added, were being routinely delayed by the absence of infrastructure funding.

“As the government pursues its new towns agenda, mobilising and incentivising private finance in a more concerted way is essential, otherwise the ambition of 12 new towns will remain just that,” he said.

FIRST-TIME BUYER SUPPORT

Slow sales rates are another brake on housing delivery, according to Truss, who called for fresh support for first-time buyers and action to compensate for the demand lost from landlords leaving the buy-to-let sector.

On biodiversity net gain, he noted that while the principle was widely accepted, bottlenecks in the planning system were delaying implementation. He urged Defra to bring ecologists, planners and surveyors together to streamline the process and provide earlier clarity on costs.

POSITIVE MESSAGING

Finally, Truss appealed to the Chancellor to “recognise the importance of positive messaging,” warning that recent property tax announcements risked “talking down the market at precisely the moment when confidence is needed.”

He concluded: “The government is right to see the property sector as a powerful engine for growth. But pragmatic reform and political understanding are vital if the sector is to deliver the homes, communities and growth the country needs.”