Spotted this on the Planning Portal and thought of you!
Clearly, Yvette Copper has the right idea - £500 million of incentives,
this should more than cover DEFRA's costs for an update to the CLEA
toolbox, SGV's and like. ;-)
Planning minister unveils new incentives to speed up housing provision
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/england/professionals/en/1115315174214.html
Housing and planning minister Yvette Cooper has unveiled initial details of
new incentives to speed up housing supply delivery and maximise the supply
of building land in individual council areas.
The incentives, worth £500 million, will be channelled through the new
Housing and Planning Delivery Grant (HPDG) regime which will supersede the
former Planning Delivery Grant arrangements.
Yvette Cooper said: "Families across the country need more affordable
homes. We want to give more support to communities and councils who are
doing their bit to deliver the extra homes we need.
"This money is about extra support for the councils which are already doing
their bit. Some of them are doing a lot of work to support additional
housing, but we know that others really need to do more. I want this new
cash injection to push local authorities to raise their game."
Councils will be required to identify at least five years' worth of sites
ready for housing and a further 10 years' worth for future development. A
lack of suitable development land is often cited as the reason for blockage
in the delivery of new homes. Yvette Cooper has made clear that, while many
councils are ahead of the rest in delivering more good quality homes
quickly, some are failing to be proactive enough in identifying the homes
their communities need.
HPDG will be available to councils who:
deliver against their housing plans to meet local needs and meet
agreed 'development timetables' to speed up new housing. These
timetables will commit councils to set out clear and ambitious plans
on the number and type of homes needed in a local area, including
family homes
indentify banks of deliverable land suitable for new homes
Communities and Local Government has stressed that HPDG will be targeted
at those areas where housing growth is a priority. These include the four
major growth areas and the nearly 50 towns and cities that have proposed
extensive housing growth in their areas.
The department has promised to consult on the allocation and eligibility
details of the grant scheme shortly.
In a related development Cooper confirmed that the merged body which brings
together English Partnerships and the Housing Corporation will be known as
the Homes and Communities Agency. It will have the lead role in delivering
the Government's ambitious housing growth targets.
The minister has also revealed that the Government has identified a further
200 more disused public sector sites across England which could be
earmarked for new housing.
Local authorities welcomed the Government's announcements. Sir Simon
Milton, chairman of the Local Government Association, said: "Financial
incentives for councils to identify potential building sites will help free
up land, but it is important that densely populated areas are not penalised
just because they have less land that they have yet to develop."
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