Report

Housing beyond markets and state

This report from UK think tank New Local looks at the powers that councils and communities need to fix our broken planning system.

It’s not NIMBYs preventing housing being built – it’s a system that creates conflict by design. Local planning authorities should be given the chance to let communities say Yes. Housing Beyond Markets and State sets out the powers that councils and communities need to fix our broken planning system. Council planners need extended powers over who builds in their areas and how quickly they do it. This should include the freedom to tax developers sitting on empty land. Communities should be involved in street-level planning, ‘gentle intensification’, and consensus decision-making. The report is full of inspiring examples of places pioneering this approach, from Liverpool to Zurich.