Key changes to the planning regime have now become law following Rural Assent for the Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013.
Under the Act there will be a 3 year window where it is permitted to change the use of buildings from B1 – Business to Residential.
The Act also allows developers to renegotiate onerous Section 106 Agreements which have made a scheme economically unviable in the past.
The Department for Communities and Location Government has predicted this new measure will allow around 75,000 new homes to be built that have been stalled because of restrictive Section 106 Agreements.
The Act also includes measures to simplify the planning system including a limit on information a Local Authority can require to be submitted alongside a planning application. The Act has also established a streamline procedure designed to speed up the process of providing a broadband infrastructure in rural areas.
Sam Catling of Rostons says the new commonsense laws will hopefully break down barriers and speed up local business growth to create jobs and opportunities for people. I would advise that people take advantage of these changes whilst they exist over the next 3 years.