MetroPM, the estate management business with offices in Birmingham and Cheltenham, has welcomed the Planning Reform Bill outlined in the Queen’s Speech.

The government announced the Bill will bring forward measures to simplify the planning system, making it easier to build the homes people need in the places they want them.

The Bill will ensure that decisions allocating land for development at the local plan stage will give certainty on the nature and scale of development which is acceptable.

Managing director Matthew Arnold said: “This Bill will address longstanding issues in a planning system that has barely been touched since 1947. We have an annual shortfall of housing provision and yet housing developments take an average of five years to completion.

“We need a system that is vastly simplified to ensure homes can be delivered more quickly across England and it is hoped these proposals can cut through red tape to reduce this average of five years considerably.

“Where local plans are changing too, this will allow far more certainty over permitted development design.”

He pointed out that a greater supply of homes will correct the imbalance between supply and demand which has been intensified by the stamp duty holiday.

“The new rules must also reflect the needs of local demands. The government is committed to its ‘levelling up’ agenda across the UK and we hope the outlined Planning Reform Bill encourages development of housing in more affordable areas, to assist first-time and lower-income buyers.

“For far too long, successive governments have agreed the need for more housing development, but the completed projects delivered have always fallen short of annual targets.

“The will to build is there and if this can shorten the development cycle significantly, we will all benefit,” he said.