The government will grant councils and mayors in England and Wales greater powers to seize land to build affordable homes as part of its planning reform.
This will mean that local authorities will no longer require permission from the central government to make compulsory purchase orders.
The change is set to be introduced as part of the government’s planning and infrastructure bill, which is expected to be unveiled on Tuesday (11/3), and it is hoped that it will unlock development on derelict and vacant land.
As part of the changes to CPO rules, councils would also no longer need to consider the ‘hope value’ of a property, an estimation of its value with planning permission. While the previous Conservative government took steps towards this by allowing councils to ask for permission to buy land without regarding its hope value, the current government’s plans will see a general rule introduced to permit councils to buy land without paying the hope value.
The government is encouraging councils to make greater use of CPOs which would allow housing and infrastructure projects to be built quicker and cheaper.
The planning and infrastructure bill will introduce a raft of changes which the government hopes will speed up housing delivery and unblock delays in its bid to build its pledged 1.5 million new homes by the end of its parliament.
Labour pledged to deliver 1.5m new homes by the end of the parliament, a target that ministers have admitted will be difficult to meet. The party has put housing affordability at the heart of its pitch to voters and vowed to get more young people onto the property ladder.
Housing secretary, Angela Rayner, said that the government is aiming to see regeneration happening in every part of this country.
She continued: “To do that we need to make sure public bodies have the tools they need to unlock vacant and derelict sites for public benefit.”
“We’ve been clear that the use of these powers should be considered where negotiations to acquire land by agreement are failing and holding back progress. These new powers will support councils and others to play their part in delivering 1.5 million homes, with the biggest boost to affordable and social housing in a generation, alongside vital infrastructure as part of our Plan for Change.”
