July 2015 Budget: key planning announcements | Practical Law

July 2015 Budget: key planning announcements | Practical Law

An update on the July 2015 Budget proposals affecting planning.

July 2015 Budget: key planning announcements

Practical Law UK Legal Update 8-616-6410 (Approx. 3 pages)

July 2015 Budget: key planning announcements

by Practical Law Planning
Published on 08 Jul 2015 • England, Wales
An update on the July 2015 Budget proposals affecting planning.
On 8 July 2015, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, delivered the July 2015 Budget.
In his Budget statement, George Osborne announced that "another key to raising the productivity of our country is building more homes and creating a fairer property market". As a result, further planning reforms will be set out on Friday 10 July 2015. Practical Law Planning will be reporting on these reforms separately.
Otherwise, for planning practitioners there was very little of note in the July 2015 Budget.
The July 2015 Budget confirmed:
  • Publication of a productivity plan which will tackle the UK's serious long-term challenges, including improving the planning system (July Budget Report, paragraph 1.11).
  • The government's commitment to the creation of a Northern Powerhouse.
    In the 2014 Autumn Statement, the government announced £7 billion to build a Northern Powerhouse to complement the strength of the capital (see Legal update, 2014 Autumn Statement: key property announcements). The July 2015 Budget confirmed that Greater Manchester will receive further planning powers (July Budget Report, paragraphs 1.284 and 2.37).
  • That the government will hold a bidding round for a new programme of Enterprise Zones during this Parliament (July Budget Report, paragraphs 1.288 and 2.29).
For more information on the implications of the July 2015 Budget see Legal updates:
Source: HM Treasury: Summer Budget 2015 (8 July 2015).