Sir Keir Starmer has backed easing rules aimed at protecting nature that have been blamed for hampering major building projects.
The Prime Minister said “we could get the balance better” between conservation and construction.
In his latest attack on the “blockers” holding up the UK’s ability to build, Sir Keir said some restrictions “don’t seem, on the face of it, to make a lot of sense”.
The Prime Minister has set out plans to build 1.5 million homes in England by the next election and wants decisions made on 150 major infrastructure projects.
I do think we should obviously take measures to protect our environment, to protect nature, of course I do, but I think that we could do it differently
Sir Keir told the Commons Liaison Committee that his target on house building is “a stretch”.
But he told the panel of senior MPs that he would not be “defeatist” about the challenge of getting the skills or the supply chains needed to build the homes.
He said: “Do I accept it’s a stretch? Do I accept it’s ambitious? Yes I do, but we’re determined to do it.”
The Prime Minister views the current planning system as one of the main obstacles to achieving the economic growth he wants.
He told MPs on the Liaison Committee that nature protection regulations could be applied more strategically, rather than on every project, to remove one of the barriers to building.
The Prime Minister said: “I think we could get the balance better. I do think we should obviously take measures to protect our environment, to protect nature, of course I do, but I think that we could do it differently.
“So, one of the proposals … that we’re working on is the question of whether that balance should be struck on each and every application or project – one by one, case by case – or whether it could better be lifted so that you could look at the balance over a wider area, which I think would make a lot more sense.”
Sir Keir has previously highlighted a £100 million structure built as part of the HS2 project to protect bats as an example of the “absurd” planning system.
But he said developers should play their part in protecting nature.
He told MPs: “I think the developer should pay into a fund that could be used to get that balance right. So, I’m not saying they should be exempted from paying in.
“What I am saying is if you do it on a case-by-case basis you can get a lot of results which slow things down and don’t seem, on the face of it, to make a lot of sense.”
The Prime Minister listed those he viewed as “blockers”, telling MPs they were “those that say we shouldn’t have targets for housing, those that say we shouldn’t build here, those that have stood in the way for years”.
Asked if he was talking about planning committees, councillors or local residents’ groups, Sir Keir said: “All of the above.”
He told MPs he visited one housing estate that would take 25 years from the plans going in to the development being completed while a wind farm could take 13 years for a project that could be done in two years, because of planning wrangles going to court and the need to secure a grid connection.
“That’s the blockers, and it’s no wonder that we’re not going to get anywhere unless we get that out of the way,” he said.
