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Government plans ‘digital revolution’ for property purchase

Christina Hoghton
Written By:
Christina Hoghton
Posted:
Updated:
21/10/2019

The Housing Minister said she wants to unlock land and unleash the potential of home builders

Housing Minister, Esther McVey, wants to release data held by local bodies to help the UK PropTech sector to thrive.

She hopes the plans will “bring about a digital revolution in the property sector.”

The Housing Minister proposes to open up Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) data for the first time so that PropTechs can see things like energy performance certificates and the square footage information of properties.

She also wants to introduce a national index of all brownfield data, simplifying and improving the quality of Brownfield Land Registers to help developers to find brownfield land to build on.

Esther McVey said: “We’ve had revolutions in the way that financial services, online banking and transport are provided, turning once unimaginable possibilities into everyday realities. Now it’s the turn of the UK property market.

“Whatever homebuyers prioritise, whether it’s the quality of local schools, the probability of getting a seat on a train, or having easy access to leisure facilities, this technology could transform the way we find and purchase homes.

“And new technology will link builders to brownfield sites more easily, enhance how developers engage with local communities, help builders deliver new homes and modernise the way we buy and sell land and houses, cutting the time it takes to get housing from the drawing board to families getting the keys.”

What would change?

The Government said these new technologies could allow communities to see models and interactive maps of planned development rather than one or two pictures and enable them to comment on planning applications online, on phones and on the go.

It added that prospective buyers could use commute time calculators when they are looking at properties, and explore financing options.

The proposals could also help developers to identify sites so that more houses are built more quickly and locate suitable brownfield sites suitable for development.


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