Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ announcement of new measures to accelerate housebuilding in the UK is welcome news for the short lets sector, a trade group has claimed.

Andy Fenner, chief executive of the UK Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA) says: “It’s reassuring that Labour recognises the only way out of the housing crisis is to accelerate housebuilding, not lay the blame at the door of the holiday let sector. Holiday lets represent a small proportion of total housing and are even outnumbered by long-term vacant homes in more than half of the UK’s local authorities.

“In 2023, we found that there were nearly 2m homes identified by planning authorities as ‘deliverable’ that simply hadn’t been built. Only 189,260 dwellings were completed across the UK last year – nowhere near enough to meet demand. 

“Britain needs bold, decisive action to cut through the red tape that has held back development and growth for decades. So, while the new Chancellor is absolutely right to decry the planning system as ‘antiquated’, Labour’s reforms must swiftly move from rhetoric to reality.

“The holiday let sector is frequently scapegoated as a cause of Britain’s housing crisis. In reality, holiday lets play a critical role in supporting the UK’s tourism industry, bringing money into local businesses, creating tens of thousands of much needed jobs and supporting local communities often in areas with no other industry. Labour has a real opportunity not only to address the root cause of the housing crisis but also to end the blame-game culture that has unfairly targeted holiday lets for too long.”

Labour’s housing commitments, outlined earlier this week, are:

– Restore mandatory housebuilding targets;

– Build 1.5m homes by the end of this parliament – including affordable and council homes;

– End the onshore wind farm ban;

– Create a new task force to accelerate stalled housing sites – starting with 14,000 new homes across Liverpool Central Docks, Worcester, Northstowe and Langley Sutton Coldfield;

– Support local authorities with 300 additional planning officers across the country;

– Review planning applications previously turned down that could help the economy – planning appeals for data centres in Buckinghamshire and in Hertfordshire are already being reconsidered;

– Prioritise brownfield and grey belt land for development to meet housing targets when needed;

– Reform the planning system to “deliver the infrastructure that our country needs” – unresolved infrastructure projects to be prioritised; and

– Set out new policy intentions for critical infrastructure in the coming months.