The Guidance gives direction on property disposals for local authorities, alongside details of other government policies to support them to dispose of sites that could be made surplus. The Government acknowledges that releasing land is only the first step, needing the house-building industry to respond to this challenge, delivering high-quality homes at pace and supporting growing communities. It also promotes the “empowerment” of local authorities “to dispose of assets that could be made surplus and put to more productive use” by:
However, the document is relatively silent on how to retain and develop assets to generate income streams that will help councils achieve “self-sufficiency” by 2020. In terms of supporting local authorities in disposing of land, the guidance highlights:
So, from a property and development point of view the Guidance reinforces the contents of the Housing and Planning Bill insofar as it emphasises the importance of Starter Homes, using Brownfield land for the development of housing (especially Starter Homes) and the creation of the register containing details of local authority land assets to create an efficient system for local authorities to work together in achieving the Government’s housing target.
What should be noted however is that whilst the Guidance provides some further technical guidance to local authorities and notes that HCA advice and support may be available, we have yet to see any firm details on the mechanics of these initiatives and therefore it will be interesting over the coming months to see how the systems are intended to work.
The Guidance sets out the Government’s 'manifesto' for local authority disposal of assets but it does not tell the whole story. We help councils, developers, community groups and housing associations collaborate to make better use of public assets and to deliver viable capital and revenue streams in lots of ways.
To learn more about the disposal of Local Authority Assets, please get in touch with Sarah Patrice, Mark Cook , Oliver Geidel or Amy Walker.
For a copy of the newly published Guidance please follow this link.
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