A new levy will be charged to developers with vacant sites or empty shops starting at 3 per cent of the cost of the land, and rising.
Major planning reforms have been announced by the government, which also include a 10 per cent requirement for social housing within a development, and strict time frames to be included in planning permission or it will lapse.
But the construction industry says the new measures will only serve to further depress the sector.
Helen Vaughan reports.
