Melanie Leech, chief executive of the British Property Federation, said although the permission is not likely to be a full permission, rather a permission in principle, it is nevertheless a helping hand for those regenerating our towns and cities.
She said: “It is important that government does not take a blinkered approach to prioritising this land for residential use, however, as to create vibrant places where people actually want to live and work there needs to be a mix of residential and commercial elements.
“We would similarly hope that there will be scope for a variety of residential tenures within these pre-approvals. The purpose-built rental sector has the potential to significantly contribute to the UK’s housing supply, and should be given as much consideration as schemes for owner occupation.”
