This month we bring you news on the Conservative opposition to the planning white paper, the latest on the local government structure reform, the fate of South Bucks and Chilterns Local Plan, information on the Essex Developer Engagement Events and much more…   Tory backlash on radical reforms By Liam Herbert, Chief Executive Officer It would seem that plans by No 10 and MHCLG to bring root and branch reform of local government have quietly fallen into the very very long grass. Following a robust reaction from many councils and districts Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) […]

  This month we bring you our series of online seminars on forthcoming proposals on reorganisation of local government and planning reforms. Read on for news on the Sevenoaks and St Albans Local Plans, Maidstone’s gamble to keep housing numbers down, the future of Cambridge, and much more…   Sevenoaks to St Albans By Michael Hardware, Director of Planning and Property Not usually associated but these two districts are currently on a similar path: planning inspectors have found both wanting in their duty to cooperate with adjoining authorities. Sevenoaks was in the High Court earlier this month with a judicial […]

This month we bring you news on the St Albans Local Plan, new government-appointed chief planner, projections on the housing and rental markets, COVID-19 and long-term strategic planning and much more… Government appoints new chief planner By Alia Khan, Consultant The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has appointed Joanna Averley as its new chief planner. She is the first female chief planner and assumes her post from September. Averley joins Whitehall from the Commission of Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), where she was the deputy chief executive as well as design director at the Olympic Delivery […]

  This month we bring you housing delivery projections and Covid-19 house prices, and a vision of future working practices. We also recap our Live Planning Events with St Albans DC and provide a Covid-19 update from Maidstone Borough Council Is the UK Housing Delivery Doomed in 2020 by Alia Khan, Consultant A recent analysis conducted by the global property consultancy Knight Frank, suggested that the knock-on effects of the coronavirus will result in 56,000 fewer homes being delivered in the UK this year, a 35 per cent drop. The analysis indicates that, ‘private housing delivery across the UK will […]

  This month we bring you updates on local plan sagas in Sevenoaks, St Albans and Uttlesford. We also recap the first two of our Live Planning Events with Cllr Linda Haysey from East Herts DC and Cllr Carlo Guglielmi, Tendring DC.   Sevenoaks in legal challenge over local plan By Kasia Banas, Account Director Sevenoaks District Council has decided to legally challenge the Inspector’s decision to find their local plan unsound It looks like the battle over the local plan process in Sevenoaks is set to continue as the Council seeks leave to Judicially Review the decisions made by […]

  The impact of the Coronavirus on planning process, housing pledges in spring 2020 budget, Sevenoaks local plan is dead, should beauty be at the centre of our planning system and how the Environment Bill is likely to impact the planning system.   Housing Pledges in 2020 Spring Budget (The impact of the Coronavirus on planning process) By Kasia Banas, Account Director With the budget focused on the response to the Coronavirus crisis, the Chancellor Rishi Sunak did not have much space left for housing announcements, something the industry has got used to over the years. The key pledges consist […]

This month: Do we see a shift?, What could the conservative victory mean for housing?, Are Councillors at risk of losing their decision-making powers from planning? The importance of community engagement in planning and Government Cabinet Reshuffle 2020.   Do we see a shift? By Michael Hardware, Director of Planning and Property Three local plans have failed, and there are rumours that the Ministry is becoming more proactive. Sevenoaks, Uttlesford and now St Albans local plans have all hit the buffers and MHCLG has been pushing various councils to make more progress. The Sevenoaks local plan foundered late last year […]

  This month: Party conferences (Part 1), Politics of planning in Essex, Planning gains transparency and Great new hires for Chelgate Local!   Brexit steals the show in Brighton By Angus Reilly, Intern Although it’s fair to say events elsewhere in the Supreme Court were to end up overshadowing everything else at Labour Conference, events in Brighton may have implications for the party and country in years to come. As well as plenty of infighting, Labour set the groundwork for an election campaign with a series of radical proposals that would have attracted media attention had it not been for […]

This month: All change at Basildon Council … again, Stansted growth and Uttlesford’s local plan, London sales and lettings, and Unlocking Growth in Oxford and Oxfordshire   All change at Basildon Council … again By Michael Hardware, Director of Planning and Property The politics of Basildon Council never provides a dull moment: for the fourth time, in as many years, the administration has changed hands again. The May local elections saw the council move into ‘no overall control’ with the Conservatives losing two seats and its slim majority. The opposition groups have joined in an alliance to form an administration, […]

This month: May Local Elections, New councillors, Hertfordshire Growth Plans and Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor May Local Elections By Michael Hardware, Director of Planning and Property The dust is settling following the dramatic May local elections in which the two main parties saw very significant losses. Ordinarily, the party in power would be expected to lose members mid-term and for the opposition to pick them up, but that did not happen. Both parties lost seats to the benefit of the LibDems, independent and resident groups. Although many are seeing this as a protest vote rather than a trend, caused by the […]