The Levelling up and Regeneration Bill was introduced into Parliament on 11 May 2022 and moved to report stage in the House of Lords in July 2023. Could the new Bill assist with brownfield development and encourage the use of under-utilised buildings? There are some positive signs:
Land Ownership Data: Information on contractual arrangements used by developers to acquire and control land will be collected and published, to make it easier to trace who ultimately owns and controls land in England and Wales.
Compulsory Purchase: The Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) system will be overhauled to enable Local Planning Authorities to use these powers for regeneration purposes, e.g. to help with the purchase of brownfield land.
High Streets: Local authorities will have the power to set up auctions to rent out commercial properties on high streets and in town centres that have been left vacant for more than 12 months.
Second Homes: A council tax premium will be levied on second homes.
Neighbourhood Priorities Statements: A simplified neighbourhood planning tool will be rolled out to give communities a way of putting forward their priorities. Local planning authorities will need to take these views into account when putting together local plans.
Street Votes: A new system will be implemented to allow residents to propose development on their street and hold a vote on whether it should receive planning permission.
The hope is that the bill will help us to improve our urban spaces and make them safer and more attractive, so that this will have a much greater impact on the communities around them. It should bring economic benefits, as the areas improve and property values increase. This will encourage more people to move into these areas and, in turn, attract further investment and enhanced public services. And so the upward cycle will, hopefully, continue.
