Levelling up and the Regeneration Bill: Further Hope for Under-Utilised Land?

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Posted on 20 May 2022

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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 also 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 to allow residents to propose development on their street and hold a vote on whether it should receive planning permission

Some of these measures certainly strike a chord with what we are working towards at Land Attic. Did you know that we are busy collating details of brownfield sites across the UK on a daily basis, as well as redundant and derelict properties and land that have been identified by members of communities and submitted to Land Attic?

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