Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which legislative provisions from the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 have been commenced; which provisions have not been commenced; and whether she plans to commence the remaining provisions.

Following Royal Assent of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act in October 2023, a small number of provisions were commenced by the previous Government, for example relating to pavement licensing. Since then, we have made clear in our recent consultation on national planning policy that we do not intend to take forward provisions that would cut across our commitments to streamlining the planning process and unlocking development, such as the Infrastructure Levy.

We do, however, intend to implement a new Local Plan system; move to a universal strategic planning system; reform the compulsory purchase process and compensation rules; and replace authority-wide design codes with detailed codes for growth/priority areas. We are actively deciding how to implement these provisions, as well as which other provisions best support our growth objectives, and will provide updates in the coming months.