Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long titleAn Act to make provision for the setting of levelling-up missions and reporting on progress in delivering them; about local democracy; about town and country planning; about Community Infrastructure Levy; about the imposition of Infrastructure Levy; about environmental outcome reports for certain consents and plans; about nutrient pollution standards; about regeneration; about the compulsory purchase of land; about information and records relating to land, the environment or heritage; about the registration of short-term rental properties; for the provision for pavement licences to be permanent; about governance of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors; about the charging of fees in connection with marine licences; for a body to replace the Health and Safety Executive as the building safety regulator; about the transfer of land for Academy schools; about the review of maps of open country and registered common land; about the regulation of childminding; about qualifying leases under the Building Safety Act 2022; about road user charging schemes in London; about National Parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty and the Broads; and for connected purposes.
Citation2023 c. 55
Introduced byMichael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (Commons)
The Baroness Scott of Bybrook, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Faith and Communities (Lords)
Dates
Royal assent26 October 2023
CommencementOn royal assent and by regulations
Status: Current legislation
History of passage through Parliament
Text of statute as originally enacted
Text of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

The Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023[1] (c. 55) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

The Act is said to "speed up the planning system, hold developers to account, cut bureaucracy, and encourage more councils to put in place plans to enable the building of new homes" by the Government.[2] This is said by the Government to transform town centres by " giving councils the powers to work directly with landlords to bring empty buildings back into use by local businesses and community groups, breathing life back into empty high streets".[3]

The Act was opposed to by a large amount of local government who said it would undermine regional and local leaders.[4] The Act also relaxed the blanket ban to onshore wind farms.[5] The Act introduced a requirement of planning permission for short term lets.[6] The latter was to reduce the scourge of second homes.[7]

The Act (amongst other things):

  • introduced levelling-up missions.
  • created a new form of devolved local government called a County Combined Authority.
  • created new powers for Combined Authorities.
  • allowed for Government to modify the titles of Mayors of existing combined authorities.
  • introduced a new Infrastructure Levy, and altered existing Community Infrastructure Levy.
  • gave the biggest shake up to the planning system in a significant time.

Certain parts of the Act came into force on Royal Assent. A large proportion of the Act will come into force on 26 December 2023. The other parts of the Act will come into force when the Secretary of State makes regulations bringing them into force.[8]

Parliamentary passage

The Act was first introduced to the House of Commons on 11 May 2022 and received its third reading in the House of Lords on 21 September 2023.[9] It is part of the government's levelling-up policy, and has a vast history to it. The Bill, in its current form, covers a number of different policy areas, and has been labelled as a "mish-mash" of various policy areas and a "Christmas tree Bill" by Baroness Hayman of Ullock.[10] The size and policy areas covered by the Bill have been castigated by many politicians [who?]. It was piloted through the Commons by Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and through the Lords by Baroness Scott of Bybrook, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Faith and Communities.

During its passage in the Lords, there were even further policy areas introduced, such as about ULEZ in London, childminding, and, one which the Lords vociferously rejected, nutrient neutrality, which the Government said would open up to over 100,000 homes to be built.[11][12]

The Act received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023.

References

  1. ↑ "Levelling-Up and Regeneration Act 2023".
  2. ↑ "New laws to speed up planning, build homes and level up". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
  3. ↑ "New laws to speed up planning, build homes and level up". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
  4. ↑ "Local democracy threatened by levelling up bill's key measures, warns CPRE". CPRE. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
  5. ↑ Martin, Daniel; Hope, Christopher (2023-02-17). "Rishi Sunak caves in to Tory planning reform rebels". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
  6. ↑ "New holiday let rules to protect local people and support tourism". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  7. ↑ "Michael Gove vows to end 'scourge' of empty second homes". BBC News. 2022-06-08. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  8. ↑ "Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023, s. 255".
  9. ↑ "Parliamentary Bills".
  10. ↑ "House of Lords Propose More Than 500 Changes To Government's Levelling Up Bill". Politics Home. 2023-02-22. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  11. ↑ "100,000 more homes to be built via reform of defective EU laws". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
  12. ↑ "Government loses bid to relax waterway pollution as Lords rebel". Sky News. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
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