The new coalition Government published a 'coalition agreement' on 20 May, which sets out what has been agreed so far between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.
The following policy agreements will be of interest to the property industry:
- Home Information Packs (HIPs) are to be suspended, but Energy Performance Certificates will be retained. Legislation will be required to completely abolish HIPs;
- Decision-making powers on housing and planning will be given to local councils, including new powers to stop 'garden grabbing' by developers;
- Home energy improvements will be paid for through savings made from lower energy bills;
- Reform the planning system to give local people the ability to determine the shape of the places in which they live. This will be based on the principles set out in the Conservative Party publication Open Source Planning;
- Abolish the Infrastructure Planning Commission and replace it with a democratically accountable system that provides a fast-track process for major infrastructure projects;
- Plans to establish a high-speed rail network will continue, but plans for a third runway at Heathrow will be cancelled. No additional runways will be built at Gatwick and Stansted airports;
- Maintain the Green Belt, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and other environmental protections, and create a new designation to protect green areas of particular importance to local communities;
- Introduce new measures to bring empty homes into use;
- Promote shared-ownership schemes and help social tenants and others to own or part-own their home;
- Promote 'Home on the Farm' schemes that encourage farmers to convert their buildings into affordable housing;
- Create new trusts that will make it simpler for communities to provide homes for local people;
- Require continuous improvements to the energy efficiency of new housing;
- Provide incentives for local authorities to deliver sustainable development, including for new homes and businesses;
- Review the effectiveness of the raising of the stamp duty threshold for first-time buyers; and
- Bring forward the national planning statement so that it can be ratified by Parliament. The statement will enable new nuclear construction. The Liberal Democrats, who are opposed to any new nuclear construction, will abstain from voting on the issue.
These policies are part of the Government's legislative programme for the next five years, and further detail about how they will be implemented will be published in due course.
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