Think tank backs “use it or lose it” planning permissions
Author: Catherine Early, Planning Resource |
Councils should be given new powers to tackle land banking by developers including ‘use it or lose it’ planning powers, according to think tank Localis.
Such powers could consist of “use it or lose it” powers to revoke planning permission from developers who have not started building within a certain time frame, levying charges on stalled development or streamlining the process of compulsory purchase orders so that councils can use them to threaten developers, a report by the think tank recommends.
There are over 380,000 homes with planning permission that have not yet been built, according to a report by the Local Government Association in August.
The think tank made the recommendations in a report commissioned by local authority group South East England Councils to identify ways that government could better support local authorities in boosting economic growth in the South East.
Effective planning and housing supply are two of the most significant determinants of economic growth particularly in areas such as the South East and London, the think tank argues.
Other recommendations for government include a broad review of advice for statutory consultees. Developers interviewed by Localis for the study complained that organisations such as English Heritage, Natural England and the Environment Agency are slow to respond to planning applications.
Improvements in transport infrastructure could also help economic growth, the report says. The government should find a way of funding transport schemes that are smaller than national, but larger than local. There is a gap in the market for funding such schemes, Localis said.