STATUTE LAW REVISION: SIXTEENTH ... - Law Commission

expectation that planning permission might one day be granted. The main
objectives of the 1967 Act were to ensure that-
“the right land is available at the right time for the implementation of
national, regional and local plans; and ... to secure that a substantial
part of the development value created by the community returns to
the community, and that the burden of the cost of land for essential
purposes is reduced.” 3
A body known as the Land Commission was established to provide the administrative
machinery to operate the levy.
4.2 In the event betterment levy did not succeed in its objectives and was abolished
by the Land Commission (Dissolution) Act 1971. 4 That Act repealed a number of
the provisions established to support the levy, including the Land Commission
itself which was dissolved on 1 May 1971. However, much of the operational
machinery was left unrepealed to deal with outstanding cases. These provisions
are now obsolete and may be repealed. Their repeal will involve a number of
consequential repeals of enactments, including the 1971 Act itself. There are
also a number of consequential amendments which are set out in Schedule 2 to
the Bill. The Treasury, the Department of the Environment, the Scottish Office
and the Welsh Office have been consulted and have no objection to the repeals.
26 Group 3 - Development of Tourism
27 Development of Tourism Act 1969, Part II
4.1 Part II of the Development of Tourism Act 1969 set up a scheme for financial
assistance for hotel development by Tourist Boards within Great Britain.
Applications for grants or loans had to be made before April 1973 whilst loan
repayments had to be made within a maximum of 20 years. The last grants were
made many years ago and no more will be made. There are no outstanding
loans. Part II of the 1969 Act together with Schedules 3 and 4 to the Act and
certain provisions in section 19 are therefore spent or unnecessary or otherwise
of no practical utility and may safely be repealed. These repeals would permit
the consequential repeal of a number of other provisions which have previously
amended Part II. The Department of National Heritage, the Scottish Office
Education and Industry Department and the Welsh Office, as sponsoring
departments of the three Tourist Boards, have been consulted and have no
objection to the proposed repeals.
28 Group 4 - Loan Societies
4.1 Loan Societies were institutions for establishing funds for making small loans at
interest to the industrious classes, the loans to be repaid by instalments. 5 The
3
Parl. Deb. (Hansard) HL Vol 277 col 1072, 14 November 1966, Lord Chancellor (Gardiner)
moving second reading of the Bill.
4 Later attempts at taxing development gains in land also proved short-lived. A tax on
development gains was established by Part III of the Finance Act 1974. That was
superseded by development land tax under the Development Land Tax Act 1976 which
itself was abolished by the Finance Act 1985.
5 Loan Societies Act 1840, s.3.
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