Title

PLANNING

Councils should benefit from land value uplift - MPs

Increases in land value that result from public policy decisions should be shared with councils instead of ending up in the pockets of private developers, MPs have said.

Increases in land value that result from public policy decisions should be shared with councils instead of ending up in the pockets of private developers, MPs have said.

Government statistics show that agricultural land that is granted planning permission for residential use increases in value on average from £21,000 per hectare to £1.95m per hectare.

A report from the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee concluded that councils and Government should be able to capture a ‘significant proportion' of that uplift to invest in new infrastructure and public services.

Committee chair Clive Betts said: ‘As these increases are significantly created by the actions of the state, it is right that a significant proportion of this should be shared with the local community.'

PLANNING

Reorganisation 'gives opportunity to embed Procurement Act'

By Emily Twinch | 25 July 2025

Councils needs to have a ‘laser-like’ focus on procurement and should use reorganisation to embed the Procurement Act, a trade body has urged.

PLANNING

Land of opportunity

By Sarah Murphy-Brookman | 25 July 2025

The Opportunity Bucks initiative was set up to improve outcomes for those experiencing the most hardship, and strong support from partners has been integral ...

PLANNING

Planning for the future of planning

By Dr Wei Yang | 24 July 2025

Dr Wei Yang presents the case for investing in tools that improve transparency, efficiency and inclusivity, to support a modernised planning system fit for t...

PLANNING

Recruiting for complexity

By Rebecca Davis | 23 July 2025

Rebecca Davis discusses why we need to hire minds, not just hands, and looks at some examples of how this strategy has been approached within the West Midlands.

Popular articles by William Eichler