Home plan: How much of Michael Gove’s strategy is new?

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove made a code connected Monday astir the government's plans for housebuilding successful England.

But not each of it was new.

Making it easier to person shops into houses was portion of Mr Gove's program to summation the availability of homes successful cities.

However, a previous law - introduced successful England successful 2015 - means immoderate properties tin already beryllium converted without readying permission.

The bulk of properties were changed from offices to residential accommodation (8,359) and from cultivation premises (591). Others changed from retention and concern premises.

The authorities is present readying to motorboat a caller consultation connected allowing commercialized premises - specified arsenic a store oregon a takeaway - to beryllium changed into residential accommodation.

However, erstwhile PM Boris Johnson announced similar plans backmost successful 2020. There was besides a consultation connected supporting lodging transportation successful 2021, which looked astatine creating caller permitted improvement rights.

This would beryllium successful December 2024 - 5 years since the existent Parliament archetypal sat. The pledge was primitively made successful the Conservatives' 2019 manifesto - a acceptable of promises acceptable retired by governmental parties up of an election.

So however is the authorities doing?

Between 2019 and 2022 (the latest disposable data), 687,390 further homes were built successful England.

This means - successful bid to conscionable the 1 cardinal people - much than 300,000 homes volition request to beryllium built successful the adjacent twelvemonth and a half.

In 2021-22, astir 233,000 further homes were built. This includes converted properties arsenic good arsenic caller builds.

The authorities besides has a 2nd people - to physique 300,000 homes a twelvemonth by the mid-2020s. However, this 1 has ne'er been met.

Setting up the "Office for Place" was different of Mr Gove's proposals.

Described arsenic a "new body", the Office would guarantee lodging was designed to a precocious standard. It would besides springiness section communities a accidental successful the look of caller developments.

The government's property merchandise said that the Office for Place "will beryllium launched today".

However, this whitethorn beryllium a astonishment to the erstwhile Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick, who gave a speech 2 years agone connected 20 July 2021 launching the Office for Place.

The money, the authorities says, volition beryllium utilized to velocity up lodging developments and amended readying capacity.

But lone fractional of the £24m is caller funding. The authorities told the BBC that portion £12m is caller backing allocated to the Department, the different fractional would travel from its existing budget.

A large woody of Mr Gove's code was fixed implicit to plans for ample numbers of caller homes and laboratory abstraction successful Cambridge.

He announced the constitution of a Cambridge Delivery Group to enactment retired however to bash this - though it was lone allocated £5m to commencement work.

These plans are new, though determination has been important section absorption successful newspaper reports up of the announcement.

The government's Levelling Up White Paper from February 2022 talked astir however probe backing was concentrated successful Oxford, Cambridge and the South East of England.

That aforesaid papers besides talked astir the £500m City Deal with Greater Cambridge, investing successful infrastructure, lodging and skills.

BBC Verify has contacted the Department for Levelling Up and asked it acceptable retired which announcements are new.