Councils have lost out on more than 13,500 homes along with funding for infrastructure as a result of government changes allowing the conversion of offices into homes without planning permission, according to the Local Government Association (LGA).
The LGA is calling on permitted development rules to be scrapped and local communities to be allowed to have a vital say on new developments in their area.
Latest figures show that since 2015, there were 54,162 new homes converted from offices under permitted development in England..
Last year (2018/19), more than half (51%) of all new homes in Harlow were office conversions, with 48% in Norwich and 43% in Three Rivers, according to the LGA’s statistics.
David Renard, the LGA’s housing spokesman, said: “By scrapping permitted development rules, the Government can give councils and local communities the ability to shape the area they live in and ensure homes are built to high standards with the necessary infrastructure in place.”
