Sweeping changes to planning laws aim to tackle housing crisis

Updated

The process for the compulsory purchase of homes and land to make way for new developments will be made faster under sweeping changes to planning laws aimed at addressing the housing crisis and building vital infrastructure.

The changes set out in the Queen's Speech will "further empower local communities" and make the planning process "clearer, faster and fairer", officials said.

The legislation will pave the way for the Land Registry to be sold off and put the National Infrastructure Commission on a statutory basis.

Other measures contained in the Queen's Speech will give councils in England the power to retain business rates - and potentially cut them - while elected mayors will be given London-style powers to franchise local bus services.

The planning moves will ensure that pre-commencement conditions are only imposed by councils where they are "absolutely necessary" to prevent them slowing down or stopping the construction of new homes once planning permission has been granted.

The reforms to compulsory purchase are aimed at speeding up the process, which can result in drawn-out legal rows as people try to hang on to their homes or challenge the compensation offered to them to make way for major schemes.

The explanatory document setting out the measures announced by the Queen indicates they will reform the way compensation is decided, basing values on the market rate without the proposed development.

The Neighbourhood Planning and Infrastructure Bill will "make the compulsory purchase order process clearer, fairer and faster for all those involved" in England and Wales, officials said.

"Our proposals, on which we have already consulted, would consolidate and clarify over 100 years of conflicting statute and case law," the document said.

"We would establish a clear, new statutory framework for agreeing compensation, based on the fundamental principle that compensation should be based on the market value of the land in the absence of the scheme underlying the compulsory purchase."

The legislation is aimed at supporting the construction of one million homes "whilst protecting those areas that we value most including the Green Belt".

The Local Growth and Jobs Bill will confirm plans for councils to retain 100% of business rates in a major shake-up, a transfer of up to £13 billion from Whitehall to town halls.

Ministers hope the change will encourage them to grow their local economies, and would also give councils the ability to cut rates for local firms.

In regions where there is a combined authority mayor, they will be given the power to levy a supplement to fund new infrastructure projects for the area.

The Bus Services Bill will give combined authority mayors new powers to franchise bus services, in the way Transport for London does in the capital.

New apps could be developed for passengers as the Bill requires data about routes, fares and times to be made available across England.

Local authorities will be given new powers to set required standards with bus providers, including on branding, ticketing and frequency of services.

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