Conservatives to unveil radical proposals to scrap Future Homes Standard and environmental quangos

The Conservative party is set to unveil a series of radical measures to boost housebuilding including scrapping the Future Homes Standard.

Shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith will outline his party’s proposals to cut up to £50,000 off the cost of delivering a new home in his keynote speech to the Conservative conference in Birmingham this afternoon.

The Future Homes Standard is a set of requirements on new homes, set to come into force on 24 March next year, which includes low-carbon heating, mandatory solar panels, enhanced insulation and airtightness.

Griffith is also expected to propose replacing Section 106 agreements and the Community Infrastructure Levy with a single levy for developers, which the party says would cut delays and improve how funds are spent.

Natural England and the Environment Agency would both be abolished with their functions transferred to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

The Conservatives have criticised the two quangos for slowing down housing delivery and making it more expensive for developers due to requirements on biodiversity and preventing flood risks.

Griffith will also pledge to do “whatever it takes” to push through the £49bn expansion of Heathrow Airport. 

He told the BBC this morning: “It’s a national embarrassment that we can’t get that third runway built - we’ve said we will get full square behind that and the government should do that right now.”

Prime minister Andy Burnham, who has previously opposed the scheme, has refused to confirm his backing for the expansion and told the BBC last week that it was a “matter for Londoners”.

Griffith will also outline plans to build infrastructure “that really works”, including reservoirs and nuclear reactors. He said: “Someone, sooner or later, has to get serious about getting this country growing again.”