The term 'enabling development' is not a statutory one.
It generally refers to a state of affairs in which development that
would otherwise be considered harmful is considered acceptable
because it would facilitate (or 'enable') benefits that
outweigh that harm. Typically the benefits in question are the
generation of funds that will be used to pay for work to be done to
a listed building or other heritage asset that is in pressing need
of substantial repairs.
Enabling development cases are rarely straightforward and there
are a number of reasons for this. First, as a matter of public
policy, enabling development should not provide an easy way out for
owners of listed buildings (or other heritage assets) who have
failed to take reasonable care of them. Nor should enabling
development act as a lifeboat to rescue property owners from
ill-judged transactions, such as overpaying for a property in the
first place. Generally, therefore, enabling development should be
seen
