An empirical investigation of stalled residential sites in England

Abstract

Drawing upon a national database of unimplemented planning permissions and 18 in-depth case studies, this paper provides both a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the phenomenon of stalled sites in England. The practical and conceptual difficulties of classifying sites as stalled are critically reviewed. From the literature, it is suggested that planning permission may not be implemented due to lack of financial viability, strategic behaviour by landowners and house-builders, and other problems associated with the development process. Consistent with poor viability, the analysis of a national database indicates that a substantial proportion of stalled sites are high density apartment developments usually is located in low house value areas. The case studies suggest that a combination of interlinked issues may need to be resolved before a planning permission can be implemented. These include; the sale of the land to house-builders, renegotiation of the planning permission and, most importantly, improvement in housing market conditions.

Keywords:

• Stalled sites
• development
• viability
• planning

Acknowledgements

This paper is based on research undertaken on behalf of the UK Government. The project ‘The impact of s106 planning obligations on growth’ was commissioned by the Department of Communities and Local Government and undertaken by Three Dragons Ltd, University College London and the University of Reading.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/davehillblog/2012/sep/20/boris-johnson-london-housing-crisis-andrew-boff.

2. The UK Parliament is the primary legislature although many policy-setting responsibilities, including planning, have been devolved to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Therefore, in this paper, reference is made to English planning and UK Government.

3. This legal agreement is usually referred to as a ‘Section 106’ agreement because the legal provision for such agreements was established in s106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

4. DCLG Live Table 254, https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/199190/LiveTable254.xls.

5. These are agreed under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act and are therefore usually referred to as s106 agreements.