Central Government has rewritten the planning rulebook. Now it is up to local authorities to challenge poor quality and ugly developments with their powers to determine what their areas will look like, writes housing minister Kit Malthouse

If we are to achieve our ambition of building 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s, councils must play their part. It could be a big part. That is why we are already supporting local authorities through planning reform, targeted investment and the freedom to deliver a new generation of council housing.