Assets of community value

What is the community right to bid?

The community right to bid was introduced by sections 87–108 of the Localism Act 2011 (LA 2011) to enable local community groups to nominate buildings or land for listing by the local authority as assets of community value. When buildings or land listed as assets of community value come up for sale or change ownership, a moratorium on the sale of up to six months can be invoked, providing local community groups with an opportunity to bid to buy the asset on the open market.

Importantly, there is no right for the community to buy the

To view the latest version of this document and thousands of others like it, sign-in with LexisNexis or register for a free trial.

TAKE A FREE TRIAL

Latest Planning News

Secretary of State for Wales lays Infrastructure (Wales) Act 2024 consequential amendments order

The Secretary of State for Wales has made and laid The Infrastructure (Wales) Act 2024 (Consequential Amendments) Order 2025 before the UK Parliament on 28 October 2025. The Order, made under section 150 of the Government of Wales Act 2006, makes technical amendments to UK legislation outside the Senedd's legislative competence that are required as a consequence of the Infrastructure (Wales) Act 2024. The 2024 Act introduced a new process for the consenting of significant infrastructure projects in Wales, necessitating these consequential amendments to legislation beyond the Senedd's legislative competence.

Commons Committee calls for practical reforms to section 106, CIL and viability to support housing delivery

On 28 October 2025, the House of Commons Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee published its Third Report of Session 2024–26, Delivering 1.5 million new homes: Land Value Capture, setting out recommendations on section 106 agreements, the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), viability policy and the New Towns programme.

House of Lords Built Environment Committee calls for new agency to oversee new towns programme

The House of Lords Built Environment Committee has published its report ‘New Towns: Laying the Foundations,’ which recommends creating a new agency to manage and oversee the government’s new towns delivery programme. The Committee concluded that existing structures are unable to provide the necessary leadership and long-term stewardship for the programme’s success. Key recommendations include delivering projects through development corporations that incorporate local authority representation, establishing a legal framework to facilitate balanced investment by both private and public sectors, and reforming the compulsory purchase regime to exclude hope value from land valuations. The Committee also advises that the government retain an ownership stake in each development corporation and establish a centralised planning agency to oversee high-level design standards.

Court confirms flexible approach to ‘exceptional circumstances’ in Green Belt boundary changes (Save Greater Manchester Green Belt Ltd v SSHCLG)

Planning analysis: In Save Greater Manchester Green Belt Ltd v SSHCLG, the High Court confirmed that the ‘exceptional circumstances’ test for Green Belt boundary changes is a matter of planning judgment, not a rigid legal standard. The inspectors lawfully applied flexible criteria and were not constrained to finding a ‘fundamental change in circumstances’, affirming that decision-makers may adopt structured approaches provided they remain open to all relevant considerations.