Industry warns of development delays for Infrastructure Levy – Victoria Du Croz speaks to Property Week

Partner and Head of Planning, Victoria Du Croz, has spoken to Property Week about the government’s proposed new Infrastructure Levy, the consultation for which launched last week, and the likelihood of it causing delays to future developments.

Designed to replace section 106 contributions and obligate developers to pay a fairer share towards local infrastructure, the levy will give local councils the power to dictate what proportion of it is delivered through affordable housing developments and how much is put toward local infrastructure.

The proposed changes would be introduced through a 10-year ‘test and learn’ period, regarding which Du Croz said that “[it] doesn’t give developers certainty on how the new Levy will work in practice”.

“This could lead to delays in sites coming forward while any teething problems are fixed - It would be better if government spent time getting the new regulations right, rather than rushing them through and looking to address any issues during the transition period.”

The consultation is due to conclude on 9 June 2023.

This article was first published in Property Week on 24 March 2023 and is available to read in full here, behind their paywall.