The art of the teal

As ever, there has been no shortage of media coverage of Reform over the past fortnight.

From controversy over the handling of protesters at party conference, the Channel 4 investigation into alleged foreign donations and two very public £36m donations from crypto billionaires, much of the coverage has once again focused on the party’s latest activities rather than what it might actually do with power.

But that cash has been donated for a purpose. Not to fund one of Nigel's PFLs (Proper “Farage”(?) Lunches), but to help get Reform ready for government.

It is also a reminder that, despite falling back from its polling highs, Reform isn't going away. It has a growing presence in local government and there could still be nearly three years until the next General Election (or December, as one of my colleagues is predicting). 

At some point, though, a party built around disrupting the political establishment has to explain what it would actually do if it became the establishment. 

As with everything important in life, planning policy is a good place to start.

Reform's new Planning Teal Paper is an interesting first test of that transition, because developing a policy for government means grappling with choices that are far easier to avoid in opposition.

On the face of it, Reform's approach to planning is strikingly pro-development. It proposes a presumption in favour of brownfield housing, removing the Community Infrastructure Levy and most Section 106 contributions from brownfield schemes, significantly reducing affordable housing requirements, removing biodiversity net gain (BNG) and some environmental requirements, and introducing substantial tax incentives for brownfield development.

So far, so pro-growth.

The difficulty comes when development moves from the pages of a policy document to the town halls controlled by Reform councillors.

Reform is increasingly rooted in local government. Its councillors have to face residents opposed to development in their own communities, and opposing unpopular development remains an effective way of winning local support — as the Lib Dems have masterfully demonstrated for years. 

The Teal Paper tries to square that circle. Reform wants to “unleash” development on brownfield land while giving councils much greater control over greenfield development. National housing land-supply targets would be scrapped and developers would have to demonstrate that there is insufficient brownfield land before developing greenfield sites, potentially adding considerable work, cost and uncertainty to the process. 

Reform wants to be both the party that gets Britain building and the party that lets local communities say no. You could ask how that makes it different from anyone else, but Reform is still, at heart, a populist party grappling with a policy area in which some of the decisions required to deliver growth could make it considerably less popular.

For the development industry, however, the most important thing about the Teal Paper is that none of this is settled. 

Reform describes its proposals as a “menu of solutions” and is explicitly inviting constructive criticism from businesses and industry before publishing its final policy in 2027.

There is plenty for industry to engage with: brownfield viability; Section 106 and infrastructure funding; affordable housing; BNG and environmental regulation; five-year, map-based Local Plans; the abolition of strategic planning; DCO reform; and even potentially differentiated business rates for out-of-town distribution centres.

And Reform doesn't need to win the next General Election for those ideas to influence the debate. Farage helped achieve Brexit long before being elected to Parliament. He knows that political influence can come from shifting the debate and forcing other parties to respond.

Reform is actively deciding what its planning policy should be and asking industry to help shape it. Whatever happens between now and the next General Election, that is an invitation worth taking up.

If you'd like to discuss the Teal Paper, what it could mean for the development sector or how to engage with Reform as its policies develop, get in touch with our Reform team at SEC Newgate.