Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023

The Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 (c. 55) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

The act is said to "speed up the planning system, hold developers to account, cut bureaucracy, and encourage more councils to put in place plans to enable the building of new homes" by the government. The government said this would "transform town centres by giving councils the powers to work directly with landlords to bring empty buildings back into use by local businesses and community groups, breathing life back into empty high streets".

Aspects of the act were opposed by many members of local government, who said it would undermine regional and local leaders. The act also relaxed the blanket ban on onshore wind farms which had been introduced in 2015. The act introduced a requirement of planning permission for short-term lets, to reduce the "scourge" of second homes.

The act (amongst other things):

• introduced levelling-up missions.
• created a new form of devolved local government called a 'combined county authority'.
• created new powers for combined authorities.
• allowed for the modification of titles of mayors of new and existing combined authorities.
• introduced a new Infrastructure Levy, and altered the existing Community Infrastructure Levy.
• made the biggest changes to the planning system for a number of years.

Certain parts of the act came into force on royal assent. A large proportion of the act came into force on 26 December 2023, being two months after the act was passed. Regulations were made by the Secretary of State to bring into force the rest of the provisions in stages during the following years.

The act was first introduced to the House of Commons on 11 May 2022 and received its third reading in the House of Lords on 21 September 2023. It was part of the government's levelling-up policy, and had a long history preceding it. The Bill was criticised for covering a significant number of different policy areas, and was labelled a "mish-mash" of various policy areas and a "Christmas tree Bill" by Baroness Hayman of Ullock. The size and policy areas covered by the Act were castigated by many politicians. It was piloted through the Commons by Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and through the Lords by Baroness Scott of Bybrook, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Faith and Communities.

During the bill's passage through the Lords, further policy areas were introduced, such as provisions concerning the Ultra Low Emission Zone in London, and also childminding. One provision which the Lords vociferously rejected was a reduction in nutrient neutrality requirements: an environmental regulation inherited from the EU which requires local planning authorities to consider the impact of new homes on the local environment and waterways (mainly an increase in sewage). The government said that the change would allow over 100,000 additional homes to be built.

The act received royal assent on 26 October 2023.

• Text of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.
• Text of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 as originally enacted or made within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.