On 26 October 2023, the last day of the parliamentary term, the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill received Royal Assent and is now an act of parliament.
The purpose of this is to drive local growth, empowering local leaders to regenerate their areas, and ensuring everyone can share in the UK's success.
There are multiple changes which come as a result of the new Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 (LURA). Viable Placemaking have introduced FIVE of the biggest changes for town planners to consider moving forward below:
1. Plan-making
Firstly, the LURA seeks to change the nature of local plans and simplify the process of getting new local plans adopted. A set of National Development Management Policies
In addition, the LURA introduces a variety of new details which could be included within a Neighbourhood Plan, such as allocate land for development or detail infrastructure and affordable housing requirements.
2. The Infrastructure Levy
The Infrastructure Levy has been introduced by the LURA to replace the current system under the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and Section 106 planning obligations.
However, in the meantime, both CIL and S106 Agreements will remain in place until the new Infrastructure Levy is brought into place in a charging authority area.
3. Regeneration
The LURA proposes multiple measures to support town centres and local areas in their regeneration prospects. This includes changes to compulsory purchase rules to allow land to be bought at its existing use value (or 'EUV') for schemes delivering affordable housing or leading regelation.
4. Enforcement
The LURA would increase the enforcement period for all breaches of planning control to 10 years. At present, some applications benefit from the '4 year rule', but this will no longer apply under the Act.
5. The National Planning Policy Framework
It is likely that, given the introduction of the LURA, that a revised National Planning Policy Framework will be published.
The National Planning Policy Framework sets out the overarching planning policies and objectives for development in England. Any update of the framework is important for town planners to consider in their planning applications and the introduction of the LURA would indicate that substantial updates may be needed!
Find out more
To find out more about how the LURA can impact your development, please don't hesitate to get in touch!
