31 October 2018In yesterday’s Budget, the Chancellor included proposals to give parish councils the power to allocate land and grant permission for homes for sale at a discount, as well as to strengthen the role of neighbourhood plans.
The Autumn Budget 2018 report states, “New discounted homes in up to 500 neighbourhoods – The government wants to see parishes and communities provide many more homes for local people to buy, at prices they can afford. The Localism Act allows the people who know their area best to come together to prepare neighbourhood plans and development orders, to ensure they get the right homes, in the right places. The government will provide £8.5 million of resource support so that up to 500 parishes can allocate or permission land for homes sold at a discount.
Neighbourhood plans and orders are approved by local referendums, and the government will update planning guidance to ensure that these cannot be unfairly overruled by local planning authorities. The government will also explore how it can empower neighbourhood groups to offer these homes first to people with a direct connection to the local area.”
