A long-awaited report, written by an expert advisory group led by Tony Pidgley, the group chair of house builder Berkeley, has implied a starring role for Eric Pickles in ensuring cabinet colleagues deliver where previous governments have failed.
The document, sets out five core recommendations for the disposal of land for 102,000 homes owned by government departments such as the Ministry of Defence and the National Health Service by 2015.
One of the key recommendations is to classify large housing developments as ‘major infrastructure schemes’ so that they can be subject to determination by Mr Pickles who could support a ‘fast track approach’.
The expert group wants land disposal to become a political responsibility headed by an elected figure. This would mirror the London mayor’s new powers to allocate land owned by the Greater London Authority for development.