Dr Luke Evans, Member of Parliament for Bosworth, welcomes changes to planning legislation which would put pressure on developers to build on land amid hopes to cut down on ‘land banking’ in the area.
Land banking is where developers acquire a plot of land and then obtain planning permission for it with the intention of building on it at an undetermined time in the future rather than immediately. The land is either left unused before development starts or used temporarily. Land banking can exacerbate planning issues in areas like Hinckley and Bosworth where the local Borough Council do not have an up-to-date Local Plan, leaving communities open to poorly planned developments.
In a Parliamentary question to the Planning Minister, Lucy Frazer MP, Dr Luke asked what the Government is doing to tackle land banking. The Minister told the local MP that the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill will give Local Authorities powers to decline applications from developers who fail to build.
Dr Luke Evans, Member of Parliament for Bosworth, said: “I believe that we need the right houses in the right places, with the right infrastructure and the right protections for our heritage and environment. We need houses that families can aspire to and, in our area, we need houses that the elderly generation can downsize to.
“But appropriate space for housing is finite and developers who land bank take those opportunities away from our community.
“Which is why I’m pleased to hear the Planning Minister confirm plans to tackle land banking, as this practice further compounds the speculative developments forced on our area because our council don’t yet have an up-to-date Local Plan.”
Lucy Frazer, Minister for Housing and Planning, said: “Too often planning permission is granted and building work is simply not started.
“Through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill that is currently making its way through the House, developers will be required to notify Local Authorities when development starts and existing powers to serve completion notices will be streamlined.
“Last week we went even further and tabled amendments to ensure that housing developers will now have to report annually on delivery and Local Authorities will have the power to decline to determine applications made by developers who fail to build out at a reasonable rate, earlier on the same land.”
