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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →The Conservatives have proposed scrapping the Future Homes Standard, replacing Section 106 and the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) with one developer levy, and abolishing Natural England and the Environment Agency. The proposals were announced at the party conference in Birmingham on 5 October 2026; they are party policy proposals, not changes already made to law. The Conservatives say the package could cut the cost of delivering a new home by up to £50,000, a claim not independently verified in the cited reporting.
What are the Conservatives proposing?
As reported by Building Design, Shadow Chancellor Andrew Griffith presented a package addressing three parts of the housing system:
- Scrap the Future Homes Standard, the planned rules for the energy performance and emissions of new homes.
- Replace Section 106 agreements and CIL with a single levy on developers.
- Abolish Natural England and the Environment Agency, with their functions moved to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The party argues that rules and regulatory bodies add cost and slow housing delivery. The report describes the rationale but does not independently assess those claims or explain how transferred regulatory functions would work.
What is the Future Homes Standard, and when is it due to take effect?
The Future Homes Standard is part of the Government’s Future Homes and Buildings Standards framework for new building work. The Government confirmed the standards on 24 March 2026. Under the published timetable, the Future Homes Standard is scheduled to apply to non-higher-risk building work from 24 March 2027, with a 12-month transition. The effective date for higher-risk buildings is 24 September 2027, according to the Government’s implementation statement.
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The Government says homes built to the Future Homes Standard are expected to emit, on average, at least 75% less carbon than homes built to 2013 standards, and that solar panels will be installed in the majority of new homes. This is the Government’s projected outcome for the standard, not measured performance after implementation. It also says the standard will require good building fabric and low-carbon heating, such as heat pumps.
Because implementation is scheduled for 2027, saying the standard has already been scrapped would be inaccurate. The Conservative announcement describes a proposed change; the cited sources do not establish whether or when it could be enacted.
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What would replace Section 106 and CIL?
The Conservatives propose replacing both mechanisms with one developer levy. The announcement reported by Building Design does not set out the proposed levy’s rate, how it would be calculated, or how its proceeds would be allocated. It also does not establish whether the new system would secure the same affordable housing and infrastructure contributions as the current arrangements.
Section 106 agreements are used to secure planning obligations, including affordable housing. The Government’s Section 106 Affordable Housing Reform Roadmap describes Section 106 as essential to affordable housing and total new-home delivery, while acknowledging that negotiations can be inefficient and cause delays. That leaves a central design question for the proposal: how would a simpler levy reduce negotiation and delay while maintaining the contributions local places and affordable-housing delivery rely on?
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Would the proposals make new homes cheaper or faster to build?
The Conservatives say their package could reduce the cost of delivering a new home by up to £50,000. That is the party’s claimed potential saving, not a measured result established by the cited reporting. The available accounts do not show how the figure was calculated, which types of homes it applies to, or whether it includes the cost of replacing energy or infrastructure requirements through other means.
Likewise, the announcement does not demonstrate that scrapping the Future Homes Standard or reorganising environmental regulators would lead to more homes being completed, or how those changes might affect energy use, emissions, affordable housing or local infrastructure. The outcome would depend on the eventual policy design and implementation, including what requirements and funding replaced those being removed.
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What remains uncertain?
- Whether the proposals will become legislation or when any changes might take effect.
- How the single levy would be set, collected and distributed, and whether it would fund affordable housing and local infrastructure.
- How Natural England’s and the Environment Agency’s functions would be carried out within Defra, and whether regulatory capacity or decisions would change.
- Whether the claimed cost saving would be realised, and what effect the package would have on housing delivery and environmental performance.
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