The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act has received royal assent.
The Act has a wide range of implications for developers and the built environment sector but will need further secondary legislation to bring the provisions into effect.
The key provisions that we’ll be monitoring the status of into the new year are:
new enforcement powers for Planning Authorities, allowing them to issue ‘completion notices’ where developments aren’t built out in a timely manner, and extending the window for enforcement action to 10 years in all cases;
an overhaul of the Community Infrastructure Levy system, to be replaced with a levy which will have a rate set as a percentage of gross development value;
a new and broader ‘Section 73(b)’ route to amend planning approvals;
new requirements for Planning Authorities to prepare design codes for their entire area, as well as sweeping changes to the plan-making process; and
the replacement of Environmental Impact Assessments with more streamlined ‘Environmental Outcome Reports’
DLBP will continue to advise our clients on the emerging opportunities – and risks - that the Act will bring about as secondary legislation is introduced.
Stay tuned to DLBP’s LinkedIn for updates on timeframes and further details as they are announced.