Elle Cass - SLR

Elle Cass is head of strategic built environment growth at SLR Consulting and incoming 2026 chair of the Board of Trustees for the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).

Here, she shares her thoughts on the key Budget measures for meeting housing targets, speeding up planning applications and mortgage accessibility:

“Today’s announcements show a clear intent to accelerate housing delivery, and that intent is welcome. But meeting the country’s ambitions will require more than isolated policy levers. The planning system only works when accountability, consistency and capacity move together. The requirement for councils to notify government before rejecting major schemes is a sensible step in that direction. If it encourages committees to pause, reflect and align decisions with national housing goals, it will strengthen rather than undermine local decision making.

“At the same time, efforts to streamline applications need to focus on the real causes of delay. Removing statutory consultees risks treating the symptom rather than the root problem. Consultees provide vital expertise; the issue is that most simply do not have the resources to respond in a timely or meaningful way. Improving deadlines, capacity and feedback quality would achieve far more than cutting them out. A system can be faster, but it must also remain sound.

“The reaffirmed ‘default yes’ for homes near train stations has real potential to shift the dial, but only if government is brave enough to apply it to rural green belt stations too. These sites are a missed opportunity under current rules. Evidence shows that building sensitively within 1,000 metres of rural stations could deliver substantial housing with minimal impact on the green belt, while supporting rail-based living, reducing leapfrogging and potentially unlocking investment for brownfield regeneration. This, in turn, can create new urban green spaces, improving green connectivity and access to such spaces in currently deprived areas, positively impacting the climate and providing opportunities for nature recovery and carbon sequestration. This is where strategic thinking can generate both environmental and social benefits.

“Finally, none of this will deliver meaningful change if households cannot access mortgages. We are in an increasingly unsustainable situation where renting often costs more than buying. More flexible mortgage products, including longer-term or lifetime models, would help people into home ownership and underpin the financial viability needed to bring new developments forward.

“Overall, the Budget sets out the right areas of focus, but the real test will be implementation. Planning, housing delivery, green belt policy and mortgage accessibility are deeply interconnected. If government delivers these reforms in a way that recognises that interdependence, we have a real opportunity to create places that work economically, socially and environmentally.”