Chancellor Gordon Brown this afternoon reaffirmed the government’s pledge to set up 2,000 areas across Britain which will have relaxed planning requirements and be exempt from stamp duty.
The implementation of government plans for Enterprise Areas had been awaiting a verdict from the European Commission on whether the scrapping of stamp duty constituted a breach of state aid rules.
But in his pre-Budget report announcement in the House of Commons today, Brown said that he expected state aids clearance in January.
He said that the government would shortly be “publishing details of 2,000 new Enterprise Areas in which we will not only – following state aids clearance which we expect in January – abolish, from Budget Day, stamp duty for all business property transactions in these areas and – with the 25% community investment tax credit – cut the cost of investing; but also give local authorities powers to relax requirements for detailed planning permission.”
He also confirmed that the deputy prime minister John Prescott would publish the Communities Plan in January. It will include changes to the planning system and measures to increase the numbers and affordability of houses.
EGi News 27/11/02
