Create Streets are today publishing a short policy note on how the new Government could make use of existing legislation to achieve its ends.
The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 (LURA) took extensive powers over planning, compulsory purchase, design coding and other areas. Due to lack of time and focus, the previous Government failed to take advantage of these, and much of the massive act remains unimplemented. The LURA therefore offers many low-hanging opportunities for the new Government to shape and enable development.
Above all, in the LURA, the Government took the power to set National Development Management Policies (NDMPs), which would take precedence over overlapping local development management policies. Part of the rationale for this is to harmonise local policies to make the system more accessible for builders, especially small builders. It is easier for small builders to learn to work with one national flood risk management policy than 330 different local ones. Because local plans will need to cover less, it will also make it easier for local authorities to update their local plan.
NDMPs are also an opportunity for the Government to substantively set policies which it believes to be in the national interest. This mirrors the approach the Government is taking with ‘brownfield passports.’ Opportunities which this note briefly explores include issues of social housing, energy efficiency, compulsory purchase, empty shops, streets votes and design codes.
You can read the policy note here
You can also read more in Building Design here