Homes for Local People
Affordable housing must produce real homes at prices local residents can afford—not more delay, more paperwork or more promises.
Housing policy must work for the people who live here.
The test is simple: does the policy deliver suitable, affordable homes for established Island residents, families and workers? If it does not, it must change.
Locals-First Housing Priority
Housing built with public support should benefit the people and communities already established on the Island.
- First-time-buyer schemes and new affordable developments will prioritise qualifying Isle of Man residents.
- A clear local-connection test will apply to subsidised housing and housing assistance.
- Rules will be transparent, consistent and based on genuine housing need.
Build Affordable Homes Faster
Years of delay have left too many young people and working families unable to obtain a suitable home.
- Release suitable vacant or underused government land.
- Fast-track compliant modular, prefabricated and structural insulated panel housing.
- Replace rigid process-led rules with clear delivery standards.
- Create a Young Worker Housing Scheme with rents linked to local earnings.
Keep Supported Homes Affordable
Public support must create lasting affordability—not a one-time windfall followed by a return to full market prices.
- Use appropriate price, rental and resale protections.
- Publish the true public subsidy and the affordability conditions attached to it.
- Protect the next generation's access to the same homes.
Housing Based on Local Need
Housing, infrastructure and population policy must be planned together rather than treated as separate issues.
- Apply clear residence, contribution and local-connection requirements.
- Publish the effect of population policy on rents, demand and waiting lists.
- Plan publicly supported supply around evidenced Island need.
Approve compliant housing by design—not by endless delay.
Reverse Planning accelerates suitable development while retaining requirements for safety, drainage, access, infrastructure, neighbouring properties and genuine environmental harm.
It does not remove planning standards. It changes who must justify delay once those standards have been met.
Approve suitable land in principle
Land correctly zoned for housing begins with a presumption that suitable housing can be delivered.
Pre-approve designs and standards
Create a practical library of standard, modular and prefabricated house types with advance technical approval.
Accelerate compliant development
Where a proposal meets the published rules, approval follows unless clear, site-specific harm is demonstrated.
Affordable-housing obligations must produce affordable homes.
Where affordable homes cannot reasonably be delivered on the development itself, developers should build the equivalent homes on suitable government-owned land. Government can provide land where appropriate; the developer provides completed homes.
The Government banks the buildings—not the money.The public will see whether housing policy is working.
Targets without transparent results are only promises. Government must publish what it planned, what it spent and what it actually delivered.
Homes delivered
Publish completed affordable homes by location, type, tenure and delivery date—not merely planning approvals.
True affordability
Report prices and rents against local earnings, together with the waiting lists and eligibility rules.
Money and land
Publish public land released, subsidies provided, developer obligations and the homes obtained in return.
Build what the Island needs. Protect affordability. Make Government deliver.
CHANGE will judge housing policy by completed homes and better outcomes—not announcements.