This answer fails to deal with the question’s main point. If you are serious about levelling up you do need to use the planning system to funnel more of the new homes investment to places that want to level up.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (75745):
Question:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he taking to avoid concentrating new housing investment in areas already facing shortages of services and infrastructure from rapid development. (75745)
Tabled on: 01 November 2022
Answer:
Lucy Frazer:
We are committed to enabling more homes to be built in the right places, and that is why we are taking steps in our Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill to get more local plans in place to deliver infrastructure in co-ordination with new homes. To make sure these homes are supported by appropriate infrastructure and services, we are introducing a new Infrastructure Levy to replace Section 106 obligations and the Community Infrastructure Levy.
We will also require local authorities to prepare infrastructure delivery strategies to ensure the right balance between delivering homes and infrastructure. This will build on policies we have already enacted in the National Planning Policy Framework, which set an expectation that local plan policies should make sufficient provision for housing, commercial development, infrastructure and community facilities.
The answer was submitted on 09 Nov 2022 at 17:57.
