A bill to boost growth and infrastructure will go before parliament today. The new Growth and Infrastructure Bill sets out a comprehensive series of practical reforms to reduce confusing red tape that delays business investment, house building and employment.
The initiative proposes to accelerate house building by allowing the reconsideration of economically unviable 'Section 106' agreements. This could release some of the 75,000 affordable and private homes currently stalled.
The bill also addresses the volume of paperwork which applicants have to submit with a planning application, which go over and above what is reasonably needed to properly inform decisions about the proposed development.
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, said:
"These common sense reforms will support local jobs and local firms. They complement the changes we are already delivered through the Localism Act, from streamlined planning guidance and, shortly, from the local retention of business rates."