Angela Rayner has unveiled her vision of a Labour Britain as the party’s deputy leader vowed only ‘attractive homes’ would be permitted in a promised building blitz.
The shadow housing secretary, who is set to be deputy PM if Labour wins the general election, has unveiled a series of designs of Edwardian-style mansion blocks and tree-lined streets of townhouses.
The modern versions of terraces and suburban semis are among possible streets sketched out for Labour by a consultancy that heavily influenced Tory plans, The Times reported.
Ms Rayner and party leader Sir Keir Starmer have pledged to build 1.5million new homes across the country within five years of a Labour government.
This would include the ‘next generation of new towns’, the party has promised.
Commenting on the plans ahead of the 4 July general election, Ms Rayner told the newspaper she would ensure ‘only high-quality, well designed and attractive homes are built’.
First-time buyers could use the state as a guarantor for their mortgages under a future Labour government, the party has pledged.
Sir Keir Starmer doubled-down on his party’s pledge to be ‘on the side of the builders, not the blockers’, as part of wide-ranging plans to boost home ownership.
Labour said its successor to the Government’s existing mortgage guarantee scheme will be ‘more comprehensive’ under a new ‘Freedom to Buy’ banner.
Sir Keir said: ‘As PM, I will turn the dream of owning a home into a reality.
‘Our changed Labour Party will be on the side of the builders not the blockers, to get Britain building again.
‘My Labour government will help first-time buyers onto the ladder with a new Freedom to Buy scheme for those without a large deposit, and by giving them first dibs on new developments.’
According to Labour, its proposed mortgage guarantee scheme – ‘with the state acting as guarantor for prospective homeowners who struggle to save for a large deposit’ – will be ‘a permanent product’.
The existing Government scheme allows lenders to purchase a guarantee on part of mortgages, so if a bank decides to repossess a house, the Government could compensate some of its losses.
HM Treasury has designed its existing programme ‘to increase the appetite of mortgage lenders for high loan-to-value lending’ – so buyers face paying smaller deposits for their mortgage.
It is due to end on 30 June 30 next year.
Labour’s deputy leader said: ‘Local families should expect that when developments go up in their area, only high-quality, well designed and attractive homes are built.
‘These should always come with the right public services and infrastructure, and access to green spaces.
‘Labour’s new towns will be the towns of the future. Only exemplary design, with real character that fits in around the local area.
‘No more identikit homes straight out of a catalogue. We’re always hearing that people want tree-lined streets of townhouses, so that’s what we’ll build.’
The artist’s impressions published by Labour were drawn up by Create Streets, which was set up by a former Tory adviser.
The consultancy heavily influenced Conservative plans under outgoing Housing Secretary Michael Gove.
David Milner, director of Create Streets, said Labour plans for design codes to insist on local character and good design would function as a ‘cookbook for new homes’ to make it easier for councils to build well.
‘We believe beautiful and sustainable design helps to boost housing delivery by winning over residents,’ he added.
‘Gentle density can deliver more homes on less land than the conventional volume housebuilder model, thereby reducing the impact of development on the environment and the landscape, creating local economic growth and allowing residents to move around in greener, more affordable ways.’
A spokesperson for Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) said: ‘We welcome Labour’s announcement, planning authorities should put a greater focus on design codes for attractive homes that fit community needs.
‘Pushing developers, and potentially rewarding those, who invest in beautiful buildings and streetscape.
‘However, it’s imperative that any design codes do not add an extra layer of bureaucracy to the planning system, which is already suffering from delays, skills shortages, and increased red tape.
‘We’d also like to see Labour go further and commit to implementing whole life carbon assessments as part of the planning permission process as a fundamental element in understanding and tackling carbon emissions.’