More than three-quarters of UK landlords believe the government’s planning reforms will damage, rather than improve, their businesses, according to a new survey by buy-to-let lender Landbay.
The findings reveal deep scepticism within the property investment community, with 77% of landlords saying the reforms will have a negative impact. Fewer than one in four see any potential benefits. Just 13% think easing planning rules could create more opportunities to buy new-build properties, while only 9% believe reforms could deliver wider economic growth and jobs.
Rob Stanton, sales and distribution director at Landbay, said the results paint a worrying picture: “If property investors are not convinced planning reform will positively affect their business, we’re in real trouble. Landlords are a key part of the housing market, driving conversions, extensions and new-build supply. This level of scepticism surrounding reform is damning.”
When asked if planning changes could help ease the UK’s housing crisis, nearly half (47%) of respondents said they would not. Many pointed to the chronic skills shortage in construction, which continues to limit building capacity regardless of regulatory reform.
Stanton argued that delays to major infrastructure schemes highlight the scale of the challenge. He cited the Lower Thames Crossing, which has cost more than £250 million in planning alone without a single shovel in the ground, and HS2, now the most expensive railway project in the world. Even a relatively small project, the reopening of the Portishead railway line, required an 80,000-page planning application, with more than 1,000 pages devoted to bats.
“These examples show how broken the system has become,” Stanton said, warning that without urgent change, investor confidence in the housing pipeline will continue to weaken.
The findings reinforce growing concerns that reforms, while intended to boost supply and cut red tape, may in fact deter investment at a time when the government is struggling to meet its ambitious housing delivery targets.
