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Councils to be given New Town Development Corporation powers
Councils are to be given new powers to launch New Town Development Corporations similar to those which built post-war towns like Milton Keynes, the government has said.
Under proposed regulations published today, local authorities will be able to seek ministerial approval to set up the corporations which would then be responsible for building new towns or garden communities.
The new bodies will be responsible for master planning, partnering with developers and procuring investment, and will be accountable to councils.
They will be able to draft proposals for new towns to be approved by local authorities.
All New Town Development Corporations are currently accountable to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
Housing minister Dominic Raab said: “We need to build the homes our communities need and I’m committed to giving councils the tools they need to deliver.
“That’s why we’re giving councils the option of applying to establish development corporations.
“These will be locally accountable and must listen to the views of the community to ensure that the right homes are built in the right places.”
Mr Raab will today introduce the regulations to parliament, which will come into force later this year if approved by MPs.
The corporations will be governed by council representatives and “community stakeholders”, as well as organisations involved in delivering sites.
A “limited number” of responsibilities will remain with the housing secretary, MHCLG said, including approving compulsory purchase orders.
The government also published a summary of responses to its consultation on the new regulations and its own response in turn.
Martin Tett, housing spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said: “It is positive that the Government has listened to the views of local communities on local development corporations.
“We will continue to engage with the Government to ensure that we can make the most of these new opportunities to deliver homes through local development corporations, and will continue to support the sector in efforts to deliver new homes.
“However, there is no quicker way to deliver these homes than by triggering the renaissance in council housebuilding we need by lifting the housing borrowing cap and enabling councils to borrow to build once more.”
Update: at 10.17am 05/06/18 a comment from the LGA was added to the story.
