There are a lot changes expected to take place in 2013 that will affect the property industry in general.
The following issues will be of particular interest to developers and housebuilders:
The Building Regulations
In October 2012, the Government launched an independent housing standards review to look at making changes to the Building Regulations (and associated approved documents) and local authority housing standards, including the Code for Sustainable Homes.
The review will submit its findings to the Government by April 2013. Full details are here.
Planning
There should be a number of amendments made to the planning regime in 2013, including:
1. Local Planning Authorities will be designated as’ poorly performing’ if they fail to meet performance criteria. In such cases, a developer would be able to apply directly to the Planning Inspectorate for planning permission for a major development;
2. The planning appeals process will be made faster and a Commercial Appeals Service introduced; and
3. The introduction of legislation to allow developers to launch an appeal where development sites are unviable due to the number of affordable homes that must be provided.
Full details of the measures that could be introduced are here and here.
Common land, town and village greens
The Growth and Infrastructure Bill is expected to become law in 2013 (possibly April 2013) and will try to reduce red tape that delays and discourages investment and new infrastructure. The majority of the Bill proposes amendments to the planning system.
The Bill, when enacted, will introduce new measures to change village green laws, so that development is not hindered or delayed by an application to register land as a town or village green. It is common knowledge that the application system has been deliberately abused in the past to stop developments from being built.
The designation of land for development in a neighbourhood development plan or local plan, or the publicity for a planning application, will lead to the exclusion of land from the town and village green application process.