Managing Urban Land: The Case for Urban Partnership Zones

Multiple ownership of land can act as a significant barrier to brownfield redevelopment. Despite renewed interest in compulsory purchase, it is unlikely to become the normal remedy for multiple ownership, owing to its cost and complexity. Drawing on international experience and recent research, this article proposes the concept of an Urban Partnership Zone, in which existing landowners would be entitled to participate alongside the local authority and a chosen development partner in a joint-venture redevelopment company. Combined with greater planning certainty and other benefits, this innovation would enable the development process to operate more rapidly without immediate compulsory purchase.