New rules could allow local authorities across England to purchase land for house building at affordable prices, even when landowners don’t want to sell. Under draft legislation, councils would be given more powers to issue compulsory purchase orders, forcing landowners to hand over sites that could host housing schemes in return for “fair but not excessive” payments.

The proposals are part of the government’s ambitious attempts to get Britain “back to building”, coming hot on the heels of the deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, unveiling substantial changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) last month intended to revivify the UK’s ailing planning system. After the Tories presided over a period of planning chaos which saw backlogs spiral, major infrastructure projects cancelled, 16 housing ministers in only 14 years and housebuilding fall to its lowest level in England for a decade, does Labour have what it takes to create a futureproof, vision-led planning system?

Many of the new government’s proposals are promising: there is a clear push back on traffic-centred urbanism, more focus on community infrastructure, and a vital emphasis on social housing. Vital because while new private housing does not bring prices down – as one LSE study showed – new socially rented homes provide a triple win. They protect tenants from cowboy landlords, give cash-strapped councils space to rehouse families stuck in expensive temporary accommodation – and free up capacity in the private rental sector.

The most radical change is buried in an annex. Under new rules, property developers........

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