Local authorities are to be given greater discretion to dispose of land following the introduction of new general consents arrangements. Under the new arrangements local authorities will be able, in certain circumstances, to dispose of land for less than the open market value without individual ministerial consent.
Planning Minister Richard Caborn said: “This new procedure is another example of the government’s commitment to greater local autonomy, giving local authorities greater independence over the conduct of their business.
“The new general consents will allow local authorities to dispose of land in various circumstances and for a wide range of purposes. For example, local authorities will now be able to grant leases to charities for places of worship, as well as being able to sell or let land for public recreational facilities and for local shops and services.
“They will also be able to sell or let land in connection with an application or scheme approved by the Millennium Commission. This would apply, for example, to the transfer of the ownership of village greens under the Countryside Commission’s Millennium Greens initiative.”
Local authorities will also be relieved of the problem of receiving late and unsolicited bids for land, which may be submitted as a commercial or tactical ploy.
The new general consents, issued jointly by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions and the Welsh Office, will come into effect on December 17 1998.
