Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to review and enhance local authorities' compulsory purchase powers.

Local authorities already have very broad compulsory purchase powers, which can be used to support the delivery of a range of development and infrastructure projects. Through both the Housing and Planning Act 2016 and Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017, the Government is taking forward a substantial package of reforms to make the compulsory purchase process clearer, fairer and faster for all.

We are keen for local authorities to make use of these new provisions, which include replacing often conflicting case law on compulsory purchase compensation with a clearer basis for identifying market value. This will allow negotiations on compensation to proceed with more speed and certainty. We will keep the operation of these reforms under review and consider whether further reforms are necessary.