鈥楻apid process鈥 to assess applications to follow two-week application window
Upper-tier local authorities can now lodge an expression of interest in hosting Liz Truss鈥 investment zones, which are aimed at boosting development through reduced regulation and simplified planning.
The Department of Levelling Up, Housing & Communities yesterday opened the bidding process for the zones, announced in last month鈥檚 mini-budget. Mayoral combined authorities, upper-tier councils and freeports have less than a fortnight 鈥 until 14 October 鈥 to express an interest for their sites.
The zones will operate under a simplified planning process, reduced taxation and lower regulations and are intended to stimulate or speed up development of residential and commercial sites.
Guidance published by DLUHC yesterday said bids will be assessed by criteria based on 鈥榚conomic opportunity, pace of delivery and wider strategic alignment鈥. The guidance sets out a series of questions that authorities will need to answer and information they must supply.
As previously reported, housing investment zone sites can already have outline planning permission.
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It said residential sites will 鈥榥eed to demonstrate housing impact through acceleration or additionality鈥, whereas commercial sites will need to show the zone will 鈥渄rive development of at present undeveloped land and/or fulfilment of growth potential.鈥
Authorities would also have to commit to mitigating environmental impacts of all investment zone sites.
DLUHC said it will then work with authorities on their delivery plans, and confirm sites represent value for money and deliver housing and growth objectives.
The government said it has already spoken to 38 authorities who are potentially interested in hosting an investment zone.
DLUHC has produced a list of 鈥榠llustrative sites of sites that could become housing zones (see box below).
The investment zone plan has drawn criticism from some in the industry who argue planning reforms should be applied everywhere, while commentators have also raised questions about additionality, pointing out that many of the zones will already have the principle of development established.
DLUHC鈥檚 鈥檌llustrative examples鈥 of sites that could become zones
1. Blackpool Airport
2. Blackpool Town Centre
3. Langarth Garden Village, Cornwall
4. Newquay Airport, Cornwall
5. Falmouth Docks, Cornwall
6. Ellesmere Port Industrial Area, Cheshire West & Chester
7. HS2 Interchange, Solihull
8. the site of a proposed battery Gigafactory at Coventry Airport
9. sites in the Black Country
10. sites in Barrow-in-Furness
11. Workington and the Energy Coast, Cumbria
12. sites near Weymouth, Dorset
13. the proposed Mayoral Development Corporation site in Hartlepool
14. the proposed Mayoral Development Corporation site in Middlesbrough
15. Teesside International Airport
16. Ebbsfleet Central
17. the River Hull corridor
18. Charnwood Campus in Leicestershire
19. Plymouth City Centre and Waterfront
20. Ceramic Valley in Stoke-on-Trent
21. Gravity, Somerset
22. Riverside, Sunderland
23. the Northern Spire, Sunderland
24. the International Advanced Manufacturing Park, Sunderland
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