Thousands of new homes are set to be built near train stations around England under new planning rules that will pave the way for the major expansion of commuter villages.

Councils will have to give a default yes to proposals for housing around train, tram and underground stations, even if they are on green belt land.

The changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) announced on Monday are designed to speed up housebuilding, as the Government tries to meet a pledge to build 1.5 million new homes by 2029.

The Government has not specified which areas it will target for housebuilding but The i Paper understands that one key criteria is that nearby rail stations can run at least four trains per hour into a large urban area.

The rules will pave the way for thousands of new homes closer to train stations, the Government said, with minimum expectations set for how much housing should be built in these areas.

Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said the move will “tackle the housing crisis and raise living standards for people in every corner of the country”.

But plans to fast-track housing in commuter areas with small populations and, in some cases, on green belt land risk a backlash from campaigners.

Experts believe England has a huge amount of underdeveloped train and tram stations, especially within commuting distance of the biggest cities, that are close to land that could be built upon.

Research published by Centre for Cities, a think-tank close to Andy Burnham’s Government, found that more than two million homes could be built around just five areas – London, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle.

The calculation was based on the idea of developing fields or woodland within 800 metres, or a 10-minute walk, of an existing station – a principle the Government is expected to follow.

Sleepy commuter villages could be expanded

One example is Ashley, a village in Cheshire with a population of only 350 people, which has a railway station on a line into Manchester that is surrounded by 181 hectares of what the think-tank cites as “buildable” land.

In Buckinghamshire, the village of Cheddington currently has a population of around 1,400 residents but is on the train line into London Euston and has 190 hectares of “buildable” land, the research claims.

The Government hopes that any green belt lost in these types of locations will be minimal and therefore less controversial.

“There is enough truly unexceptional, basic cropland around many of our stations in the green belt that millions more homes can be built in England as a result of the Government’s decision,” said Anthony Breach, director of policy and research at Centre for Cities.

The new rules will also allow for faster housebuilding on brownfield land close to transport links, with the development of housing that is already under way around Stockport and Wigan, near Manchester, held up as examples of this.

It is also hoped that boosting housing around transport infrastructure could help fund further improvements as the value of land increases.

The Prime Minister previously told The i Paper he believes mechanisms such as Land Value Capture (LVC) could be used to raise money towards a new rail line to replace the northern leg of HS2 axed by the Conservatives in 2023.

Labour has already committed £45bn to the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) project which will see improvements to stations in Yorkshire, as well as a new rail line between Manchester and Liverpool.

Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, has also committed to building a new tram line in Leeds – the largest city in Europe without a mass transit system.

Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership lobby group, supports the new planning rules. “Densification is sensible and will ensure that more of those needing to be within easy reach of city centres can do so by rail,” he told The i Paper.

“Furthermore, transformational infrastructure like Northern Powerhouse Rail and Southern Gateway around a new Bradford station to Rotherham, as well as across the Pennines near Manchester airport and in Warrington will unlock new homes,” Murison said.

“Creating more well-connected places across the North will make a range of wider development possible which may otherwise not have happened.”

Green belt obstacles ‘must be confronted’

But Labour’s announcement could set it on a collision course with campaigners who want to protect green belt land from overdevelopment.

Sir James Cleverly MP, the Shadow Housing Secretary, said: “Labour are planning a power grab, seizing control from local communities and forcing them to accept development in the wrong areas because Labour won’t build in the right areas.”

He criticised plans to overrule councils on green belt development as a “campaign of garden grabbing” and said the Conservatives are “the only party that will deliver new homes while respecting local democracy”. The party advocates for building on brownfield land – previously developed areas not currently in use.

Breach, of the Centre for Cities, said green belt restrictions have been the “single biggest” obstacle to tackling a housing shortage and must be confronted.

He also believes it is possible to protect the vast majority of green belt land while developing around existing train stations.

“We’re in this bizarre situation where the country desperately needs more infrastructure to enable to get people from where they live to where they work – and actually we can’t make use of the infrastructure we’ve already got because of these rules,” he said.

“So it’s really welcome the Government is changing that – making it almost a default to allow development in these locations and it follows the best practice we’re seeing in other places in the world such as New Zealand, Sydney and California.”

Under the changes, which will come into effect immediately, developers must prove there is no reasonable prospect of keeping a pub afloat before a change of use can be considered.

Rayner said: “A safe, secure home is the foundation of opportunity, but too many people are being priced out of the communities where they want to live and work.

“By unlocking thousands of homes around well-connected transport hubs, we’re helping people live closer to work, school and the services they rely on, while backing local businesses and driving growth in our communities.”

Where could new homes be built?

Current population: 1,400

Connection: Railway line into London Euston

Current population: 350

Connection: Railway line into Manchester

Current population: 3,600

Connection: Rail line into Bristol

Current population: 560

Connection: Rail line into Newcastle

Connection: Rail line into Birmingham