Land buyers to benefit from compulsory purchase changes

Local authorities with compulsory purchase powers need no longer consider them a 'last resort', only to be used after all other means have been tried and failed.

A new government circular, Compulsory Purchase Orders, encourages local authorities to start compulsory purchase at a much earlier stage of a project, thereby speeding up the land acquisition process.

And, according to Richard Asher, chairman of the Royal Institution of Chatrtered Surveyors' compulsory purchase panel, the new guidelines will totally change the emphasis in the use of compulsory purchase orders (CPO) powers.

"With the government planning a number of large scale developments, such as the Thames Gateway and the increases in airport capacity, it is clear that CPOs are going to be even more important in the future than they are now," he said.

"We encourage local authorities to respond to the new circular, to ensure that the CPOs for these projects are undertaken with a minimum of inconvenience to both sides."