Ministers are set to drop controversial changes to planning laws that would have stripped homeowners of the right to object to new houses in their area.
following a backlash from Tory MP's, reforms to build 300,000 homes a year by 2025 will be diluted, according to The Times.
In a consultation, the Government suggested ripping up the planning application process and replacing it with a zonal system forcing local councils to meet mandatory building targets. But the overhaul - the biggest shake-up of planning laws for 70 years - met strong opposition in rural areas. Tory MPs blamed it for the party's defeat to the Lib Dems at the Chesham and Amersham by-election in June.
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick will reportedly ditch mandatory targets and the zonal system. Instead, councils will identify 'growth sites' with a presumption in favour of development so applications are fast-tracked. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: 'We will not comment on speculation. Our response to the consultation will be released in due course.'
