The property industry has welcomed a package of planning measures designed to promote the use of brownfield land to assist regeneration, and get empty and under-used buildings back into productive use.

The British Property Federation (BPF) said the package of new ‘permitted development rights’ would help to increase housing supply and would offer support to struggling high streets by making it easier for entrepreneurs to set up new businesses.

The BPF said the proposals would give vacant buildings a new lease of life. It urged SMEs and landlords to look closely at the new flexibilities that were being offered on the high street, and highlighted the work of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and the British Retail Consortium, which have created a short retail lease designed for short lets on high street retail property.

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Liz Peace, chief executive of the BPF, said: "Taken together this is a sensible package of measures to support homes and high streets.

"The Portas Review highlighted the challenges that many shopping areas face trying to fill empty units with new uses. Promoting temporary uses is of course not a long term solution to the challenges facing the high street, but it makes sense for landlords, and for small businesses, to help encourage the swift reuse of buildings as high streets change to maintain footfall and to stop a spiral of decline taking hold.

"We are pleased that the Government has kept exemptions from new rights to turn offices in to homes to a minimum."

(CD/IT)