This Order legally establishes the Oxford Street Development Corporation, effective from January 1st, 2026, pursuant to powers in the Localism Act 2011.

The Secretary of State makes the Order following notification from the Mayor of London regarding the designation of the Mayoral development area, which covers the Oxford Street area within Greater London, mapped precisely for reference, and names the newly established body the “Oxford Street Development Corporation.”

These Regulations formally transfer specific housing, regeneration, land acquisition, and financial assistance functions, previously held by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) under the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008, to Buckinghamshire Council, Surrey County Council, and Warwickshire County Council, enabling them to exercise these powers concurrently within their respective local government areas to meet local needs for housing, infrastructure, and community well-being.

The Building Regulations etc. (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2025 amend the Building (Registered Building Control Approvers etc.) (England) Regulations 2024 and the Building Regulations 2010, primarily focusing on improving building safety and compliance procedures.

Key changes include revised notice requirements for completed building works, stricter reporting for when clients cannot provide statements from contractors or designers, and clarifying procedures for handling contraventions.

The regulations also prescribe cases where the Building Safety Regulator must provide copies of serious contravention orders to local authorities.

Transitional provisions ensure the amendments don't retrospectively apply to notices issued before the regulations' effective date.

The Housing Benefit (Habitual Residence) (Amendment) Regulations 2025, effective October 21, 2025, amend the 2006 Housing Benefit Regulations.

Specifically, they remove the habitual residence assessment for housing benefit applicants already receiving Universal Credit.

This simplification streamlines the application process by relying on the existing Universal Credit determination of habitual residence.

These regulations amend existing UK legislation to ensure that British nationals returning from government-advised evacuations are eligible for housing and homelessness assistance in England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

The amendments waive the habitual residence test for a six-month period following evacuation, allowing immediate access to housing for those who meet specific criteria defined by the regulations.

These criteria include possessing leave to enter or remain in the UK, not being subject to a 'no recourse to public funds' condition, and not being sponsored under certain visa schemes

This Order, effective August 2nd, 2025, designates specific parishes in Colchester and East Hampshire as rural areas under the Housing Act 1985's right-to-buy scheme.

It also designates Colchester and East Hampshire as regions for the scheme's application in those parishes.

The order enables the imposition of covenants or rights of first refusal on sold properties to potentially preserve affordable housing.

An impact assessment was deemed unnecessary due to a lack of anticipated significant effects on public or private sectors.

These regulations mandate personal and building emergency evacuation plans for high-rise residential buildings in England.

They require responsible persons to identify residents with disabilities affecting evacuation, conduct person-centred fire risk assessments, implement mitigating measures, and create evacuation plans, also sharing information with local fire and rescue authorities.

The regulations include provisions for regular reviews and emphasize data protection compliance.

These regulations, effective July 10, 2025, prohibit English local housing authorities from using local connection criteria when allocating housing to victims of domestic abuse and care leavers.

The regulations define 'domestic abuse' according to the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and specify 'eligible', 'relevant', and 'former relevant children' by referencing the Children Act 1989.

The aim is to improve housing access for these vulnerable groups.