Section 106, viability, and the depoliticization of English land value capture policy

Foye, C. (2022) Section 106, viability, and the depoliticization of English land value capture policy. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 46(2), pp. 269-286. (doi: 10.1111/1468-2427.13076)

Abstract

In England, when land is granted planning permission its value increases dramatically. Historically, the question of who is entitled to this ‘betterment value’ uplift has been one of the central debates in national politics. However, from the 1980s to 2008, betterment value capture policy became depoliticized. This article seeks to understand how that came about. Focusing on the parliamentary sphere, it proposes that depoliticization took place across three ‘faces’. First, economic interests: rising home-ownership and the broader rentierization of the economy strengthened support for house price inflation and private property rights, thus shrinking the space for political debate around these issues. Second, institutions: under Section 106 and the viability regime, the governance of betterment value capture became fragmented, incorporating an array of unelected ‘experts’, models and rules which worked to reduce the discretion of elected local planning authorities. Third, discourse: from the 1980s onwards, the Labour Party's discourse around betterment value capture converged with that of the Conservative Party. This convergence was partly driven by ideational changes in the Labour Party and in the discipline of economics. Taken together, these three faces help explain why betterment value capture policy moved away from the realm of contestation and contingency and towards that of fate and necessity.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This work was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (grant number ES/P008852/1).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Foye, Dr Chris
• Authors: Foye, C.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Urban Studies
• Journal Name: International Journal of Urban and Regional Research
• Publisher: Wiley
• ISSN: 0309-1317
• ISSN (Online): 1468-2427
• Published Online: 05 January 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 The Authors
• First Published: First published in International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 46(2): 269-286
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons licence

Project Code	Award No	Project Name	Principal Investigator	Funder's Name	Funder Ref	Lead Dept
300119		UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE)	Kenneth Gibb	Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)	ES/P008852/1	S&PS - Urban Studies