21 January 2011
The Government’s Localism Bill is progressing through Committee stages in the House of Commons. (http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2010-11/localism.html).
The Bill is intended to devolve greater powers to councils and neighbourhoods, and give local communities more control over housing and planning decisions.
The planning and regeneration provisions will:
- abolish Regional Spatial Strategies (RSSs);
- provide for neighbourhood development orders to allow communities to approve development without requiring normal planning consent; and
- give new housing and regeneration powers to the Greater London Authority, while abolishing the London Development Agency.
- abolish the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) and return to a position where the Secretary of State takes the final decision on major infrastructure proposals of national importance;
- amend the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), which allows councils to charge developers to pay for infrastructure. Some of the revenue will be available for the local community;
- provide for neighbourhood plans, which would be approved if they received 50% of the votes cast in a referendum;
A plain English guide to the Localism Bill has been produced and is available via: http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/localgovernment/pdf/1818597.pdf