The London borough Hillingdon rejected a higher proportion of planning applications over a 10 year period, analysis shows. Of 5,188 applications received by the local authority, decision makers at Hillingdon Council approved 3,048, according to a Telegraph study.
Home to Heathrow Airport and on the outskirts of the capital, properties in Hillingdon had an average price of £480,450 over the last year, according to Rightmove.
A Hillingdon Council spokesperson said in February the data didn’t reflect the local authority’s current performance. Hillingdon’s approval rate was 78 percent for the year to September 2023, according to the council.
The spokesperson said: “Focusing on minor applications also excludes the larger developments which often bring with them significant economic and other benefits for residents.
“We’re committed to creating a green and sustainable borough with safe, strong communities and rigorous scrutiny of planning applications is integral to that commitment, to ensure we best protect areas of open space, of which we have plenty, as well as preventing the over-development of urban areas.”
Hillingdon was followed by Maldon, Harrow, Enfield, Barking & Dagenham, Luton, Havering, Southend-on-Sea, Brentwood and Newham, according to the Telegraph analysis.
Of the top 10, six are in Greater London, with Hillingdon, Maldon and Harrow including areas of protected status, with Maldon alone having some 10 nature reserves.
On the flip side, the City of London granted 98 percent of planning applications it received over the same period, according to the Telegraph’s analysis of Government data.
Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove announced in February that he wants every council in England to prioritise housebuilding on brownfield sites, with extra pressure set to be brought to bear on larger city councils which fail to meet housing targets.
The move is part of a broader effort by the Conservatives to boost housebuilding, with younger voters in particular expressing concern about the difficulty of getting on the property ladder.
Another recent study showed just less than half (48 percent) of aspiring first-time buyers expect their homeownership dream to become a reality.
Property advice website HomeOwners Alliance found nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of people who want to get onto the property ladder said their parents own their own home.
Seven in 10 (71 percent) of those surveyed who are not homeowners said they want to get onto the property ladder, despite 52 percent of them believing they will never be able to achieve this.
The top barriers include high house prices (60 percent), saving for a deposit (44 percent), the ability to afford monthly mortgage repayments (33 percent) and the ability to get approved for a mortgage (31 percent), according to the survey.
