(1)There shall be a body corporate known as the Homes and Communities Agency (“the HCA”).
(2)Schedule 1 (which makes further provision about the HCA) has effect.
(1)The objects of the HCA are—
(a)to improve the supply and quality of housing in England,
(b)to secure the regeneration or development of land or infrastructure in England,
(c)to support in other ways the creation, regeneration or development of communities in England or their continued well-being, and
(d)to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development and good design in England,
with a view to meeting the needs of people living in England.
(2)In subsection (1)—
“good design” includes design which has due regard to the needs of elderly persons and disabled persons,
“needs” includes future needs,
and the reference to improving the supply of housing includes a reference to improving the supply of particular kinds of housing.
(3)In this Part—
“building” means a building or other structure (including a house-boat or caravan),
“caravan” has the meaning given by section 29(1) of the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 (c. 2),
“housing” means a building, or part of a building, occupied or intended to be occupied as a dwelling or as more than one dwelling; and includes a hostel which provides temporary residential accommodation,
“infrastructure” includes—
water, electricity, gas, telecommunications, sewerage or other services,
roads or other transport facilities,
retail or other business facilities,
health, educational, employment or training facilities,
social, religious or recreational facilities,
cremation or burial facilities, and
community facilities not falling within paragraphs (a) to (f),
“land” includes housing or other buildings (and see also the definition in Schedule 1 to the Interpretation Act 1978 (c. 30)),
and references to housing include (where the context permits) any yard, garden, outhouses and appurtenances belonging to, or usually enjoyed with, the building or part of building concerned.
(4)See also sections 19(5) (financial assistance), 44 (local government involvement) and 52 (role of the HCA in relation to certain former functions of the Commission for the New Towns).
The HCA may do anything it considers appropriate for the purposes of its objects or for purposes incidental to those purposes.
(1)This Part contains various specific powers of the HCA.
(2)The specific powers of the HCA (whether contained in this Part or elsewhere) are to be exercised for the purposes of its objects or for purposes incidental to those purposes.
(3)Each power may be exercised separately or together with, or as part of, another power.
(4)Each power does not limit the scope of another power.
(5)Each power does not limit the scope of the powers conferred by section 3.
(6)But—
(a)subsections (2) and (3) do not apply to the HCA in its capacity as a local planning authority by virtue of sections 13 and 14 or in its exercise of other functions by virtue of those sections, and
(b)the powers conferred by section 3 must not be used to override a restriction imposed on the exercise of a specific power.