Last Wednesday evening, inside the grand setting of Parliament, an initiative quietly significant for the future of UK housebuilding was launched. The Land, Planning and Development Federation, in partnership with Town Legal LLP, unveiled a suggested new draft template for Section 106 (S106) agreements, designed specifically for small and medium-sized residential developments.
Before you picture reams of legal text and a lawyer gleefully reaching for another highlighter, this is good news - really good news. Because this new template has one purpose: to make the planning process faster, clearer, and far less painful for everyone involved.
Accompanied by practical recommendations, the template could dramatically reduce delays that currently add unnecessary time, cost, and complexity to housing delivery.
At LandTech, we see this as a perfect example of the sector working together to cut friction and enable development. And our tools can help developers and planners act on these improvements, turning policy and templates into real-world action.
A Parliamentary Launch with a Distinguished Panel
The proposals were examined at an event hosted by Mike Reader MP, bringing together respected voices in planning and development:
- Charlie Banner (Lord Banner KC)
- Paul Brocklehurst, Chairman of the Land, Planning and Development Federation
- Steve Quartermain CBE, former Chief Planner
- Simon Ricketts, Partner at Town Legal LLP
- Sadia Hussain, Senior Associate at Town Legal LLP
The conversation ranged from technical to strategic, but the room was aligned on one point: the system for negotiating and drafting S106 agreements is too slow, inconsistent, and resource-intensive, particularly for SMEs.
Currently, S106 agreements often create friction at exactly the moment the planning system should be enabling development. Local planning authorities spend hours rewording clauses. Applicants spend days revising drafts. Lawyers across the country are redrafting the same base clauses again and again.
At LandTech, we know that delays like this don’t just slow development - they can affect site viability, investment decisions, and the speed at which homes actually reach the market.
Why the Timing Could Not Be Better
The launch of this template coincides with the Housing, Communities, and Local Government Select Committee calling for national standardisation of S106 clauses.
Standard wording reduces workload for local authorities and applicants. It ensures greater consistency across England. And it removes hours lost renegotiating base clauses that rarely need changing.
In other words, the Select Committee wants a system that works smarter, not harder.
The Section 106 template aims to do exactly that.
How the Template Was Developed
Town Legal LLP led the project, informed by a sector-wide workshop that brought together:
- Local planning authorities
- SME and larger developers
- Industry bodies
- Planning, legal and viability experts
The priorities were clear:
- Reduce unnecessary negotiation by removing repeated rewording of standard clauses
- Focus on site-specific issues that truly require discussion
- Provide a balanced starting point that neither side views as adversarial or unrealistic
- Create a practical, usable tool rather than a theoretical document
The resulting template reflects all of these aims. It is concise, avoids unnecessary legalese, and is designed for small and medium-sized developments where proportionality matters most.
Why Section 106 Agreements Matter
S106 agreements secure essential commitments, including:
- Contributions to local infrastructure
- Delivery or funding of affordable housing
- Open space and environmental improvements
- Transport mitigation measures
- Site-specific obligations
Done well, S106 agreements ensure development is fair, sustainable and aligned with local needs.
But the process for creating them is slow - painfully so. For smaller schemes, delays can be disproportionate. SMEs often lack the internal resources of national housebuilders. Every week of delay increases borrowing costs and risk. Councils also face stretched resources and excessive review cycles.
A Template Build For Real-World Use
The draft template provides a base structure all parties can use as a shared starting point, including:
- Common wording for clauses that rarely need rewording
- Clear definitions that reduce time spent debating terminology
- Proportionate obligations reflecting the scale of small and medium sites
- Logical, intuitive layout for planners, lawyers and developers
- Flexibility to add or adjust site-specific obligations where genuinely needed
Panel discussions highlighted the template’s practical value.
The Wider Impact; What Standardisation Could Achieve
If adopted widely, the template could deliver several benefits:
- 1. Faster Determination of Applications
Fewer rounds of amendments means planning permissions can be granted more quickly.
2. Reduced Workload for Local Authorities
Planners and legal teams spend less time reviewing repetitive clauses.
3. Lower Costs for Developers
Fewer legal reviews translate into significant savings, especially for SMEs.
4. More Consistent Decision Making
Similar wording across councils creates a more transparent and navigable system.
5. A Better Developer-Council Relationship
Less friction over drafting, more focus on outcomes, and a smoother planning process.
6. More Homes Delivered, More Quickly
Every day saved in planning is a day closer to homes reaching communities.
Access the Templates and Recommendations
The full draft template and recommendations are available here:
Simplifying and Standardising Section 106 Agreement Processes: Proposals for Reform
Town Legal welcomes comments and feedback from the sector.
How LandTech Can Help
While standardised templates are a big step forward, the real game-changer is using technology to act on them. With LandTech:
- Quickly identify site constraints and obligations from planning data
- Understand the impact of S106 clauses on site viability
- Assess potential sites in minutes rather than days
- Reduce risk and speed up decision-making
In short, our tools help developers turn standardised S106 agreements from paperwork into actionable insight, accelerating delivery and giving teams confidence that nothing is overlooked.
Next Steps: See It In Action
If you’re a developer or planner looking to streamline your S106 process, book a demo with LandTech today. See how LandInsight and LandFund can help you:
- Map obligations across sites
- Model cost and viability impact
- Make faster, more confident decisions
- Reduce delays in delivering homes
