Local Lib Dems fighting impact of Labour Government's National Planning Policy Framework
Labour’s Planning Shake-Up: What It Means for Housing in Waverley
The Labour Government’s changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) have created a new wave of uncertainty for local councils like Waverley. While these reforms are promoted as a bold move to tackle the housing crisis, in reality they undermine local control, ignore infrastructure constraints, and fail to address the actual barriers to delivering the right homes in the right places.
As Liberal Democrats, we believe in community-led planning, genuine affordability, and protecting our natural environment. Labour’s top-down approach risks repeating the mistakes of the past — only this time with even greater consequences for residents across Waverley.
Centralised Targets Are Back — and So Is the Pressure to Build
Labour’s NPPF reforms restore binding national housing targets, scrapping the previous Government’s so-called “advisory” model — though that too penalised councils that fell short.
Under the new approach, local authorities like Waverley are now subject to inflated, centrally imposed housing targets with less flexibility to account for constraints like green belt, overstretched infrastructure, or protected landscapes.
The impact? Waverley’s annual new housing target has doubled overnight — from an already challenging 710 homes per year under the Conservatives, to a staggering 1,440 homes per year under Labour. That’s the equivalent of having to build two new towns the size of Farnham and Godalming within just two decades.
This level of growth is neither realistic nor deliverable — especially when developers already face shortages of skilled labour, rising material costs, and market instability. And crucially, there’s no guarantee these homes will be genuinely affordable or supported by the infrastructure local families rely on.
What Waverley Residents Can Expect
1. Development Pressure on Protected Land
To hit these targets, Waverley may be forced to allocate even more land — including greenfield and sensitive areas bordering the Surrey Hills National Landscape — putting our countryside and biodiversity at risk.
2. A Surge in Speculative Planning Applications
Failing to meet the new housing target leaves Waverley vulnerable to speculative development. Developers will try to bypass local plans and push through schemes that communities haven’t agreed to.
3. Infrastructure Lagging Further Behind
There’s no matching investment in roads, schools, GPs, public transport — or our crumbling water infrastructure. With water quality in local rivers already under threat, how will this growth be absorbed by debt-laden utility companies?
4. A Diminished Local Voice
Labour’s changes reduce the influence of local objections and neighbourhood plans. Proposals for local government reorganisation also threaten to further erode democratic accountability in planning decisions.
What the Liberal Democrats Are Doing
Liberal Democrat councillors at Waverley Borough Council are standing up for our communities. We support the delivery of the right homes in the right places — not top-down numbers that ignore local realities.
We’ve already written to Angela Rayner MP to raise concerns — but have been ignored. Our housing target remains at over 1,400 homes per year.
We are now fast-tracking the evidence base for a new Local Plan — the only tool we have to push back against unsustainable growth. This includes:
- Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessment – to understand real local need.
- Water Cycle Study – to assess the capacity of water and sewage infrastructure.
- Flood Risk Assessment – to identify vulnerable areas.
- Green Belt Review – to assess underused or previously developed land (“grey belt”).
- Land Availability Assessment – to map suitable, sustainable development sites.
This work is being carried out at record speed to protect Waverley from speculative development. But until a new plan is in place, the borough will remain exposed — simply because it cannot demonstrate a five-year housing land supply under Labour’s new targets.
Why Waverley Can’t Meet Its Five-Year Housing Land Supply
The Labour Government’s sudden doubling of Waverley’s housing target has rendered the council’s existing housing pipeline insufficient.
The Conservatives locally are attempting to score political points by pretending Waverley should have had 7,500 homes ready to go — a settlement the size of Godalming — just sitting in reserve. That’s simply not how planning works.
What they’re really suggesting is that we should have granted planning permission indiscriminately, without a plan, infrastructure, or public consultation — and that’s not something we are willing to do.
Instead, we will:
- Continue building the evidence needed to challenge Labour’s unrealistic targets;
- Put pressure on developers to actually build the 5,500 homes they already have permission for;
- And lobby for powers to stop developers from delaying projects to maximise profits — a practice known as land banking.
The truth is, councils are held accountable for housing delivery, but have no power to force developers to build. A five-year land supply is meant to support steady, sustainable growth — but doubling targets overnight has blown up the system and created chaos.
Planning Should Be Plan-Led — But This Isn’t Planning
Waverley is now vulnerable to opportunistic developers exploiting national loopholes. Without a current five-year land supply, they can override local plans and build on land that residents never agreed should be developed.
Labour’s approach is replacing one broken planning system with another. This is not how we create thriving, sustainable communities.
Have Your Say
We want to hear from residents across Waverley. Whether you’re concerned about overdevelopment, affordability, or public services — your voice matters.
🚧 Sign our petition to demand better infrastructure
📩 Share your views by contacting us on info@waverleylibdems.org.uk
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