The Localism Bill, which the Government has called “the biggest transfer of power in a generation, releasing councils and communities from the grip of central government”, received Royal Assent late yesterday afternoon (15 November.)
The Act includes measures to reform the planning system, to ensure decisions about housing are taken at a local level, and to generally increase the power of local government and local communities. David Marsden, Head of Real Estate at Matthew Arnold & Baldwin, looks at the particular implications for planning here.
The Government has produced a ‘plain English’ guide to the Localism Act, which clearly summarises all of the main ideas contained in the Act and what effect they will have on local communities.
Over the coming weeks and months, the measures laid out in the Localism Act will begin to come into force. Many of the measures are expected to be in place by April 2012, although there is no definite timetable yet.
