Boris Johnson believes that building is important for the UK economic recovery

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to combat the economic impact of the coronavirus by promising “build, build, build.”

The prime minister said he will present a “new agreement,” comparing the policies to a series of programs and reforms introduced by former United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt between 1933 and 1939 to help the country recover from the Great Depression.

The new rules will mean that owners can more easily build extensions through a quick approval process, subject to consultation with their neighbor.

Existing commercial properties, such as recently vacated stores, will be converted to residential housing more easily.

“Building new homes will be very helpful.”

Meanwhile, developers will be able to demolish and rebuild redundant buildings without going through the common planning application.

The changes will take effect in September.

Johnson said, “We will build fantastic new homes on brownfield sites and other areas that with better transportation and other infrastructure could be downright fit and proper for development, and we will address that intergenerational injustice and help young people climb the ladder of housing in the way your parents and grandparents could do it.”

The proposals received a mixed reaction.

It takes more than just promises

Jeremy Leaf, North London real estate agent and former RICS residential chairman, said: “While the announcement of more buildings is of course very welcome, we want to see more details, not just about desperately needed affordable housing projects, but a strict schedule for delivery, especially from sites with planning.

“Many of the larger schemes, in particular, are mired in planning or lending bureaucratic red tape, so concentration on infrastructure will undoubtedly help free many of that log jam by improving connectivity.”

But Ruth Gregory, the UK’s senior economist at Capital Economics, said: “Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement today that £5 billion (0.2% of GDP) of spending on infrastructure projects will be brought forward in 2020 is quite disappointing and it is unlikely to do much to help the worst affected parts of the economy in the coming months.”

“But at least the announcement indicates that the government intends to maintain the fiscal stimulus later on, rather than reeling towards fiscal austerity as it did after the Global Financial Crisis.”

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