The government published an "infographic" [800kb PDF file] to highlight the nature of the transfer of Local Land Charge functions to theLand Registry, bringing the local land charge registries of 348 local authorities into a single digitised register.
Consultation on the proposal was launched in January 2014. The government's response and the intention to proceed was first announced (also highlighting the timeline of the project) in June 2014,
The Department of Communities and Local Government is offering a "very small amount" of underspend within the Communities Grant Programme...
The third award featured in our series about the Empty Homes Awards 2014 presented at our Conference in Birmingham in...
In a recent appeal case, the planning inspector supported a council in refusing to give a lawful development certificate to...
In a consultation document issued on 31st July, the government announced plans for further relaxations around the conversion of commercial property to residential use.
The two key proposals are in Section 2 of the Consultation document ("Reducing planning regulations to support housing, high streets and growth") and were as follows:
to implement a permanent but refined "prior approval" regime for conversion of offices to residential use, currently due to expire at the end of May 2016;
to introduce the similar "prior approval" regime for light industrial units (Use Class B1(c)) and storage and distribution bulidings (B8) and some sui generis...
The 2015 General Election campaign starts here as far as housing policy goes. In a hard-hitting speech delivered in Nottingham,...
A letter has been written to Brandon Lewis, MP (Minister of State, Housing and Planning) and Stephen Williams, MP (Communities...
At last Thursday's Empty Homes Summit, organised by the Empty Homes Network, representatives from the Homes and Communities Agency and...
An Opposition Day debate on Housing Supply on the 9th July gives some indication of where the empty homes issues...
There is now an Empty Homes Network pinterest webpage which will provide a useful hub of links to stories and...
After research by the BBC revealed that seven London boroughs were not using the Empty Homes Premium (see story here), Ed Miliband has pledged to raise the Empty Homes Premium to 100% in England, if elected, matching the approach already being taken in Wales and Scotland. A recent mention of the same policy initiative by Emma Reynolds confirms that this is now the Labour position.
The London Boroughs not using the power were named as Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster, Bromley, Havering, Hillingdon, Kingston-upon-Thames and Merton. The cabinet member for housing for Westminster, Daniel Astaire, spoke to the BBC and offered...
Adrian White, a student at Plymouth University, is conducting research into housing supply, including the role that can be played...
In the July government reshuffle both Nick Boles, previously responsible for planning, and Kris Hopkins, previously responsible for housing, have...
With the approval on 8th of July by the Welsh Assembly of the Housing Wales Bill, Wales has taken the...
