Residents will have the chance to set new local design standards for their areas if the Conservative Party is returned to power in next month’s general election, the party’s manifesto has pledged.

Among the 64-page document’s commitments is a restatement of former prime minister Theresa May’s target of ramping up housebuilding to the 300,000-units-a-year level by the mid-2020s, supporting the wider use of modern methods of construction (MMC) and further planning reform.

In a paragraph headed “Beautiful, high-quality homes”, and seemingly in a nod to the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission, the document suggests local planning authorities would be required to consult residents of defined districts within their bounds on the introduction of new localised rules.

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