Government to take powers away from urban development corporations

A review of the UK’s three urban development corporations (UDCs) has seen the government drastically reduce their power.

Brought in with much fanfare in 2003 and 2004, the UDCs were designed to drive regeneration in London, Thurrock, and West Northamptonshire, but the government has deemed them inefficient.

Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation (TTGDC) will be incorporated into the Homes and Communities Agency, Europe’s largest regeneration agency. It had been responsible for developing 18,500 homes.

The London Thames Gateway Development Corporation (LTGDC), overseeing the development of 68,000 homes, will continue in its current form until after the Olympic Games, when a review of its future will take place as the Olympic Delivery Authority is wound up.

The West Northamptonshire Development Corporation (WNDC), which supports regeneration in Northampton, Daventry and Towcester, will lose much of its planning responsibility.

The WNDC is currently responsible for applications of 50 or more homes plus most applications in the centre of Northampton. From spring 2011 WNDC, which previously had a target of 48,900 homes, will only look at submissions for schemes of 200 homes or more, and major commercial projects across the area.

Regeneration minister Ian Austin said: “These new arrangements keep the focus on delivering new homes and jobs for local people but help improve working arrangements with delivery partners to make efficiencies and savings and give more responsibility to local communities.”