The government has recently introduced plans to transform struggling towns and cities, supporting local leaders to take back control of regeneration, ending the blight of empty shops on their high streets and delivering the quality homes that communities need.
The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill will enshrine in law the Conservative government’s commitment to long-term missions to spread opportunity, drive productivity and boost local pride in every corner of the country.
Levelling Up Secretary Rt Hon Michael Gove MP said:
As a country, we need to be firing on all cylinders. That is why we must level up the UK; spread prosperity and opportunity, and make sure everyone can share in our nation’s success.
What Does This Mean For Great Yarmouth?
The Bill will directly give our local leaders the powers they need to continue investing in our communities, high streets and our wonderful town centre. A new infrastructure levy will see the big developers contribute more towards better local roads and genuinely affordable housing. Local communities will also receive a share of the Levy revenue raised - as long as they have a parish or town council – and the Government are exploring how this could be expanded.
Further measures include:
- New powers for our local leaders to run High Street Rental Auctions, where they can auction off tenancies in shops that have been vacant for over a year.
- Councils will also be able to double council tax on empty and second homes, ensuring everyone pays their fair share towards local services and boost levelling up.
- The ‘al-fresco dining revolution’ will be made permanent, injecting new life into the high street through creating a sustainable process for communities, business and local authorities, making it permanently cheaper and quicker to get a licence for outdoor dining.
The Bill will also deliver new reforms to the planning system, ensuring new development in Great Yarmouth is more beautiful, produces more local Infrastructure, is shaped by local people’s democratic wishes, improves environmental outcomes, and occurs with neighbourhoods very much in mind.
Further measures include:
- Local plans - the way in which councils set the vision for future development in their area and decide whether to give planning permission - will gain stronger legal weight and be made simpler to produce. Communities will have a major say in these plans giving them more opportunity to shape what happens in their areas. Great Yarmouth has recently adopted their one, putting them ahead of 61% of local councils which have yet to approve one.
- A digitised planning system making plans and planning applications fully available on your smartphone.
- Stronger protections for the environment in local plans, empowering councils to make better use of brownfield land and protect precious greenbelt land.
- Local design codes will be made mandatory so that developers have to respect styles drawn up and favoured locally - from the layout or materials used, to how it provides green space.
Something which I am very pleased to see is the Conservative Government's new deal for millions of renters in private and social housing.
By ending Section 21 evictions and extending the Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector, all renters can expect a decent, safe, and secure home. At the same time, these measures deliver a fairer system for good landlords who can struggle to recover their properties when faced with anti-social behaviour or wilful non-payment of rent.
Details on further support for tenants in social housing will be unveiled later this year which will include a review of the Decent Homes Standard, new consumer regulation and regular inspections of the largest landlords.
