Levelling Up And Regeneration Bill: Law Timeline

The Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill was introduced in the House of Commons on 11 May 2022 and became an Act of Parliament on 26 October 2023. The bill, which is now the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act, received Royal Assent, making it an Act of Parliament. The Levelling-up and Regeneration Act is designed to underpin the government's levelling-up agenda and includes measures to streamline the local plan-making process, reduce duplication by ensuring authorities have a single local plan, and increase planning fees.

The bill became law on 26 October 2023

The Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill became law on 26 October 2023, receiving Royal Assent to become the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act. This Act is a key part of the UK government's legislative agenda, aiming to speed up the planning system, hold developers accountable, reduce bureaucracy, and encourage the construction of new homes.

The Act introduces significant changes to the planning and development landscape in the UK. One notable aspect is the introduction of a new infrastructure levy to replace the Community Infrastructure Levy and the Section 106 system. This levy will be charged on the value of a property when sold and aims to streamline developer contributions towards affordable housing and infrastructure. However, concerns have been raised about the potential impact on the delivery of affordable housing and social rent homes. In response, the government proposed four amendments to the levy, including ensuring that it maintains or exceeds the current level of affordable housing delivery and allowing local authorities to require developers to provide a proportion of their levy contributions as onsite affordable housing.

The Act also includes measures to revitalise high streets and town centres, enhance environmental outcomes, and give communities more power to shape their local areas. It streamlines the local plan-making process by ensuring authorities have a single local plan and introduces a new suite of national development management policies. Additionally, it provides for the creation of a new form of combined authority, called a 'Combined County Authority', designed for areas with two tiers of local government.

The Levelling-up and Regeneration Act is a comprehensive piece of legislation that aims to address various issues in the UK, with a particular focus on planning, development, and community revitalisation. By receiving Royal Assent and becoming law on 26 October 2023, the Act is now enforceable and will guide future decisions and developments in the country.

It aims to streamline the local plan-making process

The Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill became law on 26 October 2023, receiving Royal Assent to become the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Act. This Act aims to streamline the local plan-making process and reduce duplication by ensuring each authority has a single local plan.

The Act introduces a new suite of national development management policies, which will cover common planning considerations across different authorities, such as green belt and flood risk. This will standardise the process for local plans, making them quicker to produce, simpler to use, and more democratic. The government expects these plans to be adopted within 30 months.

The Levelling-Up and Regeneration Act will also remove the duty to cooperate, meaning an authority will not need to collaborate with neighbouring authorities to meet its housing need. This will give local authorities more autonomy over their planning decisions and processes.

Furthermore, the Act will reduce evidence requirements and front-load the preparation, examination, and adoption process. This will streamline the process and ensure local plans are more responsive to the needs of their communities.

The Act also allows for increases in planning fees for major and minor applications, providing additional resources for local authorities to manage the planning process more efficiently.

Overall, the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Act's measures will enable local authorities to create more efficient and effective local plans, reducing bureaucracy and giving them greater control over their areas' development.

It will introduce a new infrastructure levy

The Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill became law on 26 October 2023, receiving Royal Assent to become the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act.

One of the key elements of the Act is the introduction of a new infrastructure levy. This will replace the current Community Infrastructure Levy and much of the Section 106 system. The new levy will be charged on the value of a property when it is sold. However, it will not be introduced fully for a decade.

The Infrastructure Levy introduces a new way of calculating developer contributions towards affordable housing and infrastructure. It is designed to streamline the process and reduce the burden on developers. Under the new system, local authorities will be required to ensure that the level of affordable housing provided by developers is maintained or exceeded. This is a key priority for the government, which has committed to delivering one million homes over the current Parliament.

The new levy will also give local authorities more flexibility in how they allocate infrastructure spending. They will be able to produce their own 'infrastructure delivery strategies' to determine where and how this spending is allocated, ensuring it is targeted at local priorities.

The Act also gives local authorities the power to increase council tax on empty homes and reform compensation for compulsory purchase orders by removing 'hope value' where justified. These measures are designed to encourage the development of more local infrastructure, such as GP surgeries, schools, and transport links, and to ensure that developers deliver the infrastructure that communities need.

It will give councils more powers

The Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill became law on 26 October 2023. The Act gives councils more powers in several ways.

Firstly, it gives councils the power to work with landlords to bring empty buildings back into use by local businesses and community groups, breathing life back into empty high streets. This is done through high street rental auctions. The Act also makes it easier for hospitality businesses to get permission for outdoor seating, which was temporarily relaxed during the pandemic.

Secondly, the Act gives councils more power to influence local housing markets. Councils can now charge premium council tax for long-term empty and second homes. This is expected to reduce the number of empty homes and increase the availability of housing.

Thirdly, the Act introduces new powers for councils to bring vacant properties back into use. This is intended to be a simple, inexpensive, and effective tool for councils to revitalise their high streets.

Finally, the Act includes measures to support regeneration in left-behind communities. It is designed to speed up the planning system, hold developers accountable, and encourage councils to put plans in place to enable the building of new homes.

It will revitalise high streets and town centres

The Levelling-up and Regeneration Act will revitalise high streets and town centres by giving councils the power to work directly with landlords to bring empty buildings back into use by local businesses and community groups. This will breathe life back into empty high streets.

The Act will also make it easier for local authorities to give hospitality businesses permission to use outdoor seating, a relaxation of rules that was first implemented during the pandemic. This will help local hospitality businesses to thrive.

The Act also includes new ''street vote' powers, which will allow residents on a street to bring forward proposals to redevelop their properties in line with their design preferences.

Furthermore, the Act will streamline the local plan-making process and reduce duplication by ensuring authorities have a single local plan. This will help to revitalise high streets and town centres by making the planning process more efficient and effective.

Overall, the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act will provide new tools and powers to transform town centres and high streets, bringing empty buildings back into use, encouraging hospitality businesses, and giving residents a greater say in the design of their streets.

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