News & Publications

As of 26 October 2023, new measures have become enshrined in law after the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ (DLUHC) Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill received Royal Assent. Here are 17 things you should be aware of:

1. After a difficult passage through the Lords, it came into force late last month
2. A new mandatory Single Infrastructure Levy will replace Section 106 agreements and the Community Infrastructure Levy. The neighbourhood share, as currently occurs under the Community Infrastructure Levy, will be retained
3. It also places “a new duty on local authorities to prepare infrastructure delivery strategies to outline how they intend to spend the levy”
4. All local authorities will be required to have a design code in place covering their area
5. Gives neighbourhood plans greater weight in planning decisions
6. Includes new ‘street vote’ powers, allowing residents on a street to bring forward proposals to extend or redevelop their properties in line with their design preferences
7. Will allow parish councils and neighbourhood forums to produce a simpler ‘neighbourhood priorities statement’, which the local authority will be obliged to take into account when preparing its local plan
8. The scope of local plans will be limited to ‘locally specific’ matters, with ‘issues that apply in most areas’ to be covered by a new suite of national policies
9. Will accelerate the adoption of local plans
10. Provides local planning authorities the power to refuse planning applications where a developer has a track record of delayed build out
11. Strengthens enforcement provisions
12. Provides greater protection for heritage assets
13. Accelerates the digitisation of planning
14. Makes it easier to create single tier authorities in areas which presently have a two-tier system
15. Introduces a new discretionary council tax premium on second homes of up to 100%
16. Does not include any measure to enable local authorities to meet virtually
17. Many of its provisions apply to England only, but some to both England and Wales

Further information about the bill can be found here.