After months of headline-grabbing reforms to the planning system, the mood from ministers was one of quiet confidence. The message was clear: Labour believe they’ve done what’s needed to get Britain building. Now it’s up to the sector to ’Build, Baby, Build’.
But that sentiment doesn’t entirely match the current mood among developers, local authorities and housing associations. For many in the sector, planning reform is just one piece of a wider puzzle that sits inside a shifting landscape of decision-making – and that’s far from complete. The real obstacles to delivery – funding, capacity and skills in local planning departments, and local political realities – are proving just as significant.
At the fringes and in private conversations, there was broad support for the direction of travel. Ministers were praised for taking planning seriously, for setting ambitious housing targets, and for giving local leaders greater powers. Yet there’s a sense that the Government’s focus on reform risks overlooking the operational and financial realities of getting homes built quickly.
Challenges around affordable housing delivery, viability, and the ongoing uncertainty over infrastructure funding and land assembly remain live for private developers. While Labour hopes that the policy groundwork is laid, the sector sees a tougher road ahead — one that requires collaboration, investment, and sustained political will long after the headlines move on.
If the last year was about reform, the next will be about results. And as the mood at conference made clear, the gap between political ambition and delivery on the ground will define whether Labour’s housing mission truly takes hold.
A Government focused on delivery
Labour’s message was one of reassurance rather than reinvention. Ministers know they’ve set themselves a huge challenge — 1.5 million new homes — and the party’s mood was less about announcing the next big thing and more about convincing the sector that they have what they need to get building. The problem is, everyone knows it’s not that simple.
The New Towns plan, unveiled on the eve of Labour Party Conference, was pitched as the flagship housing initiative of this Government. It promises up to a dozen schemes – with more possibly to come – guided by a “sustainability framework” to ensure each development is energy-efficient, well-connected and properly serviced. But the detail so far is thin.
There’s also a tension between national ambition and local reality. The Government says it wants delivery bodies to coordinate infrastructure strategies — including for new demands like data centres and electrified transport — but local government is still dealing with reorganisation, under-resourcing, and planning backlogs and new and existing mayors will want their say on housing and infrastructure delivery too. The result – the pieces required to deliver new homes and new infrastructure consistently at scale don’t yet fit together.
The gap between policy and practice
The sense across the sector is that the politics have moved faster than the delivery system can. The planning reforms Labour is pushing through Parliament are complex, and implementation of new legislation will take years. Local plans remain out of date in most areas, planning departments are chronically understaffed, and the supply chain – from materials to skills – is still under pressure.
That reality tempers much of the optimism that might otherwise have come from conference. The Government’s view, as one developer put it privately, is that “we’ve done what you asked, so get on with it.” The challenge now is making sure the detail is provided to make it work – turning permissions into foundations, and frameworks into funding.
Localism and the new political map
What’s clear is that the future of housing delivery won’t be driven entirely from Westminster. The new wave of devolution deals and mayoral powers will give regions far more say over housing and infrastructure strategy. That’s welcome, but it adds complexity – particularly with new mayoral contests due in 2026 and more in years to come.
Some mayors are likely to lean into Labour’s housing mission and embrace development; others may take a more cautious approach, especially in areas where Reform is polling strongly. The dynamic between metro mayors and the forthcoming unitary planning authorities below them could define the next few years of delivery, creating as many bottlenecks as opportunities.
The politics of expectation
Labour’s wider pitch – that this is a government focused on delivery, not debate – cuts both ways. The sector has long asked for certainty and clear direction, and now it has it. But that also means Ministers expect progress. The “we’ve done what you asked, now get on with it” tone is becoming more pronounced. The danger is that it overestimates how quickly the system can respond.
Even where funding has been committed, the detail on how it will be managed, and by whom, is not confirmed, while the funding pots like the Social and Affordable Homes Programme don’t reach the big numbers promised until after 2030.. Major reform to environmental impact, land assembly, compulsory purchase and skills pipelines are all still to come. Until those arrive, the headline targets remain aspirational.
What to watch next
The next big moment for the sector will be the Autumn Budget. Business rates reform, clarity on the long-term housing strategy – including detail on the SAHP, Warm Homes Plan, and building safety – will all be watched for closely. The Government is also expected to bring forward the Remediation Bill and finally set out its approach to leasehold and commonhold reform.
Beyond Westminster, the pace of local government reorganisation and the mayoral results next year and beyond will matter just as much. Many areas are in flux, with councils merging or being split apart, and many gaining new mayors. That instability risks slowing planning decisions further, unless local leaders are given the tools, and confidence, to act.
Where the conversation goes from here
The mood post-conference is pragmatic. Few believe the Government will hit its targets, but most agree it’s at least pointing in the right direction. The task now is less about changing the policy and more about showing that delivery is possible within it.
That means housing associations, developers, and infrastructure partners need to shift their story from asking to action. Showing what’s already being built, what’s being delivered, and where government support is unlocking tangible outcomes.
Because the next phase of this political cycle won’t be about announcements. It will be about evidence and measurement. In a sector that’s been asked to deliver for years without being given the tools to achieve it, the expectation now is that if you’re not building, baby, you need get on with it.