Economy & Banks

Bollocks. They need genuine encouragement. When land is given planning permission the owner should be given 1-4 years to build dependent on the size and the complexity of the scheme. At the end of the grace period the land should be taxed at 25% of value (assuming the tax dos not exist). This would ensure that anyone with developable land would develop ASAP or sell ASAp to someone who will.

This already exists. Development of a planning consent has to start within three years. The trouble is the definition of 'development' is so loose it's impossible to stop developers effectively land-banking a planning permission once it's granted a(having already increased the value of the land by gaining planning permission). Introducing a land value tax for land with certain use classes instead of a mansion tax for example could be a way of enforcing?