Member News
Two separate bills will be used to speed up house-building and reform the planning process, the government has confirmed.
Tuesday's Queen's speech saw a Housing and Regeneration Bill and a Planning Reform Bill included in the government's legislative agenda for the coming parliamentary year.
The bills will help deliver on the prime minister's target of building 240,000 new homes each year by 2016, including 10 new 'eco-towns'.
The Housing and Regeneration Bill will create a new homes agency to oversee the target, by bringing together English Partnerships and the Housing Corporation.
It will also reform social housing, including allowing local authorities to build new council homes, and allow for more building on brownfield land.
"Available and affordable housing is one of my government's main priorities," the Queen's speech said.
"Legislation will be introduced to create a new Homes and Communities Agency that will deliver more social and affordable housing, and promote regeneration."
The Planning Reform Bill will overhaul policy in the area, including introducing a single consent regime for major infrastructure projects such as airports and power stations.
The speech said it would allow for "quicker and more transparent decision-making" with infrastructure projects typically taking two years or more to approve at present.
However a Planning Gain Supplement Bill, included in the government's draft legislative programme in July and allowing for a levy to be charged on the sale of land to reflect its increased value as a result of planning permission, appeared to have been dropped or postponed.
The funds raised would have gone towards spending on local infrastructure projects, although the prime minister had previously said the government was open to other ways of ensuring that local communities benefit from developments in their areas.
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd