In a speech at UKREiiF on 19th May, Pennycook identified this as one of the legislative and policy measures the government needs to finalise.

Planning permission reform and work around the NPPF were a large part of the minister’s speech.

“We have to publish a final, revised NPPF, and we will do so this summer,” said Pennycook.

“We have to bring into force our new national scheme of delegation, and we will lay out the required regulations in the coming weeks.”

These elements, he explained, were part of a renewed emphasis to remove “grit” from the planning process.

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Elsewhere, the housing minister pointed to recent accomplishments from the government such as the Planning and Infrastructure Act receiving Royal Assent.

Pennycook claimed this is expected to boost GDP by up to £7.5bn over the next decade as he defended the government’s stilted progress to deliver on its 1.5 million housing target.

“Uninformed critics will no doubt decry my reference to stronger headwinds as an attempt to deflect blame for early falls in housing delivery that I can assure all of you were fully expected and anticipated in opposition,” said Pennycook.

“But everyone in this room will know that the very real challenges that the sector has experienced over recent years — rising interest rates, significant increases in building materials costs, and dampened buyer demand — have been exacerbated by the global turbulence of recent months.”