Kevin Whitaker, chief executive, Cala said:

We welcome Housing Today’s campaign. The industry has the capability to narrow the gap between supply and demand.

However, the planning system has been problematic for some time. The recent removal of the planning reform bill does not support the delivery of housing that the country needs. It has created significant consequences, including the abandonment of local plans which leaves no planning structure and very few drivers for new housing in the areas affected.

We are amidst a housing crisis. The current planning approach removes any responsibility for housing delivery in the planning system, further delaying any significant delivery. The planning system needs to be re-imagined and supported at both a national policy level and a local level, with clear expectations, targets, and additional resource for local authorities. The planning system needs to be live, consistent, and far more dynamic, focusing on the housing needs of the country.