The Levelling-Up and Regeneration Act 2023 received royal assent on 26 October 2023, empowering local authorities in England to hold rental auctions, and contract to-let vacant high street and town centre premises without requiring the prior consent of the owner, or any superior landlords or mortgages.

The powers for high street rental auctions are primarily set out in Part 10 of the Act. The motivation for introducing these powers is the desire to counteract the negative impact of high street vacancy rates on local economies.

The powers are permissive, meaning the local authority has discretion over whether to utilise them. Premises within such designations will be qualifying high street premises if the local authority considers that they are suitable for high street use and are not confined to retail properties.

What Does the Act Receiving Royal Assent Mean?

The Levelling-Up and Regeneration Act 2023 receiving royal assent will create significant opportunities such as delivering crucial planning reform and giving communities a greater voice. It is hoped that royal assent will help solve some of the UK's challenges in delivering new housing, regenerating high streets, and rejuvenating vacant properties.

Planning reform is a recurrent theme in the Act, with new policies including RICS calls for the digitisation of planning services, and improving national model design codes so local planning authorities can focus decision-making based on the needs of the community. Plus, it will enable planning authorities to reject applications by developers who have a history of not delivering on commitments.

The act also replaces the current Environment Impact Assessments framework with the new Environmental Outcomes Report, which will assess plans against environmental outcomes, alternative solutions and reasonable mitigation and compensation measures.



One important policy not currently included in the Act is the relaxation of nutrient pollution rules that have resulted in around 150,000 homes being blocked in the planning system.

The Act presents an opportunity to set out a long-term vision for the building of sustainable properties in the UK and defines how future housing needs will be determined by the government.



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