COMMUNITIES secretary Eric Pickles has launched a consultation to scrap the requirement for planning consents to convert offices into residential property.

The Government claims that if all the long-term office space currently available was converted it could potentially deliver 250,000 new homes and save just under 140m over 10 years in unnecessary red tape costs. In the North-East 11,191 premises have been identified for potential conversion.

The move comes after housebuilders last week accused Mr Pickles of confusing the reasons behind the shortage, arguing the lending crisis and not planning was responsible.

Shadow communities secretary Caroline Flint condemned the Coalition's plans to make it easier for businesses to "by-pass" the planning system, after it was announced in last months Budget.

Mr Pickles also called for local communities and authorities to make greater use of their existing local planning powers, Local Development Orders, to grant permission and reduce the planning burden locally.

He said: "Many towns and cities have office blocks, warehouse and business parks needlessly lying empty, while housebuilding has fallen to the lowest in peace time history because the planning system has tied developers up in knots of red tape.

"By unshackling developers from a legacy of bureaucratic planning we can help them turn thousands of vacant commercial properties into enough new homes to jump start housing supply and help get the economy back on track. Councils already have powers to give greater local planning discretion and they should us them more to promote growth."

The consultation will run until June 30.