A group of professionals who share an interest in the subject of land value capture (LVC) formed the Professional Land Reform Group in 2004. Their Chair since PLRG's formation has been Dave Wetzel, who was then Vice Chair of Transport for London. He is a former Chir of GLC's Transport Committee and Labour Leader of Hounslow Borough Council in the 1980s. He now runs his own consultancy on LVC: "Transforming Communities" (
Sustainable Transport Policies ▪ Public Finance with Social Inclusion ▪ Affordable Housing ▪ Economic Land Policies with Justice).
PLRG used to meet at TfL, whose Chairman (Ken Livingstone) and Transport Commissioner (Bob Kiley) were sympathetic: LVC could finance much-needed transport infrastructure. Since Dave Wetzel lost his job there in 2008, PRLG has lacked a Secretariat: Professor Ashis Choudery of Oxford Brookes University was unable to take on the additional work which Dave's PA had done for PLRG.
At the memorial seminar for another PLRG founder member Professor Nat Lichfield, last October, Dr Tony Vickers agreed to take over as Secretary. Tony is now looking for a Central London venue at which PLRG could hold its meetings. The 're-launch' of PRLG is to be held in late March (date to be announced).
Please let Tony know if you would like to join PLRG. Annual subscription has been £20 but the re-launch meeting will discuss such matters.
The aim of PLRG is to provide a network of professionals interested in conducting research on LVC, with a view to advancing their own knowledge and understanding of ways of restoring community-created wealth to the beneift of the public.
