The Government has begun to signal its economic recovery plans as it moves out of the first phase of the coronavirus lockdown. The plans will be rolled together in a legislative agenda provisionally entitled the ‘Great Recovery Bill’ which will sit alongside a mini-budget, pencilled in for July.
It is anticipated that Mr Johnson’s shake-up could focus on major reforms to the planning system to revive his ‘infrastructure revolution’, which has stalled during the lockdown.
The Great Recovery Bill and mini-budget may also include the introduction of government-owned development corporations taking over planning powers from local councils; the possible introduction of ‘zonal planning’ and the abolition of planning committees with more focus on political decision-making over the allocation of sites at local plan stage.
Measures to promote new housing, roads and broadband are all expected which the government believe will be central to any recovery.
A Government source said: ‘Departments are being asked to identify the things they need to keep services going, but also the changes that would free up the economy and get business moving again once we start to open up.
‘The idea is to then put them all into one big piece of legislation that helps get the recovery going.’
Whilst the proposals anticipated in July will not focus solely on planning reform measures, some spectators believe they are the ones to watch and combined with spending and measures to boost new infrastructure these steps could provide a major boost to the property development and construction industry.
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