How to Fix Local Roads: Sustainable Road Maintenance Solutions for Local Government
Explore expert insights on sustainable road maintenance and pothole repair, and learn how local government can fix the road network with proactive strategies.
EXCLUSIVE: Government turns to councils for extra building inspector capacity
30/06/2025 The Government has turned to councils for extra building inspector capacity as high-rise housing projects continue to be dogged by regulatory hold-ups. |
Creating a lasting legacy through a RIBA Design Competition
24/06/2025 Kingston Uni needed to meet educational needs and make students feel welcome when designing their Town House building, so they turned to RIBA. |
Chinese embassy plans supported by Planning Inspectorate
23/06/2025 Plans for a new Chinese embassy development at the Royal Mint Court have been backed by the Planning Inspectorate. |
Housing target threatened by planning officer shortage, says UNISON
16/06/2025 The Government’s efforts to boost affordable housing could be derailed if the shortage of planning officers in England is not addressed, UNISON warns. |
Mapping successful 15-minute cities
11/06/2025 Is GIS the difference between success and failure for 15-minute neighbourhoods? Alex Zirpolo, principal GIS consultant at Lanpro, argues it is. |
Call for strengthening oversight of developer contributions system
06/06/2025 Weaknesses in developer contributions system intended to fund affordable housing are undermining the councils' ability to negotiate with developers, NAO says. |
Housebuilders call for ‘meaningful action’ on planning staff crisis
05/06/2025 The association representing housebuilders in England and Wales has called on the Government to tackle the staffing shortage in local planning authorities. |
Government makes EV chargepoints more accessible to drivers
30/05/2025 Drivers could save thousands each year following new electric vehicle (EV) chargepoint regulations. |
John Lewis wins approval for plan to build 430 homes
28/05/2025 The John Lewis Partnership’s largest build-to-rent project has been given the go ahead in West London despite objections from the local council. |
Government proposes easing environmental protections to boost housing
28/05/2025 The Government has announced a raft of reforms aimed at easing planning regulations and environmental protections to support smaller housebuilders in England. |
New housebuilding rules to offset ‘years of inaction’
23/05/2025 Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner tells housebuilders to ‘get on and build’ as the Government introduces delivery timeframes for developers. |
Ministers accused of 'centralising zeal'
20/05/2025 Ministers have been accused of ‘taking away decision-making powers from local people' in a new amendment to its Planning and Infrastructure Bill. |
Judge rules in favour of campaigner in Battle for Brockwell
16/05/2025 A judge has ruled in favour of a campaigner who took legal action against Lambeth Council to stop it allowing the use of a local park for festivals. |
Council’s anti-slavery policy used to fight solar farm
12/05/2025 Locals opposed to a solar panel project on the Hampshire-Berkshire border are attempting to stop it by arguing it could breach anti-slavery commitments. |
Call for caution over land value capture reform
24/04/2025 Experts have urged against wholesale reform of developer contributions, despite the flaws within the current system. |
Horsham challenges local plan decision
23/04/2025 Horsham District Council has complained to the planning inspectorate after its local plan was rejected. |
Councils click into the future of planning
22/04/2025 In town halls across the country, planning officers are racing to update their Local Plans — but this time, the process looks very different. |
Council spends £220k demolishing ‘man cave’
22/04/2025 Forest of Dean District Council was forced to spend £220,000 demolishing an illegally built leisure complex belonging to a millionaire. |
Council plans major repairs to Victorian-era bridge
14/04/2025 Leicester City Council has submitted a planning application for major repairs to the Victorian-era Rialto Bridge. |
Minister blocks Oldham exit from development plan
10/04/2025 Oldham MBC's attempt to exit an agreement that could see the development of 11,500 new homes has been stymied by the Government. |
Luton Airport expansion gets the green light
04/04/2025 The Government has signed off on the expansion of Luton Airport despite concerns about the environmental impact and a predicted increase in noise pollution. |
Local planning authorities working to out-of-date plans
01/04/2025 Two-thirds of local planning authorities (LPAs) outside of London are working to out-of-date research plans, new analysis has revealed. |
Council warns against ‘ploughing ahead’ with Stansted expansion
11/03/2025 Hertfordshire County Council has warned that plans to expand Stansted airport would lead to an increase in noise and air pollution for local residents. |
CCN: Planning legislation would ‘dilute’ local oversight
11/03/2025 Legislation aimed at speeding up planning decisions would ‘dilute’ the role of councillors on planning committees, warns the County Council Network (CCN). |
Council green lights multi-billion-pound data centre
06/03/2025 Plans for a multi-billion-pound data centre are a step closer to being realised after the local authority granted the proposals planning permission. |
Close planning loophole to save pubs, campaigners say
03/03/2025 Campaigners have written to Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner urging her to back calls for a change in the planning laws to protect pubs. |
Planning breaches uncovered at £6m mansion
03/03/2025 North Norfolk DC has launched an investigation after it was alleged the owners of a £6m house had built a pool and tennis court without planning permission. |
Local plans ‘overhaul’ announced
28/02/2025 The Government has announced an ‘overhaul’ of the local plan process in a bid to speed up development. |
Is enough being done to meet the 1.5m housing target?
28/02/2025 Jonathan Pearson, director of Residentially, asks if the Government is doing enough to meet its 1.5 million new homes target. |
Council to approve statue of rock legend Lemmy
25/02/2025 Stoke-on-Trent City Council's cabinet is set to sign off today on a statue of rock legend Motorhead frontman Lemmy. |
Developers leave 1.4 million homes unbuilt
14/02/2025 Councils have given planning permission for more than 1.4 million homes since 2007 that have not been built, research has found. |
Council green lights Spurs park plans
13/02/2025 Enfield councillors have approved an application from Tottenham Hotspur for a new women’s training facility in a public park. |
Data reveals council areas with most fast food outlets
12/02/2025 The London borough of Camden has more fast food outlets per resident than any other local authority area in England, according to new analysis. |
LGA to provide salary grants for planners
12/02/2025 The Local Government Association is offering councils financial support to help boost their planning capacity through the Pathways to Planning initiative. |
Housing plan on MoD site scrapped due to acid grasslands
07/02/2025 Colchester City Council is set to remove a former Ministry of Defence firing range from its development plans due to the site's ‘environmental value.’ |
McDonald's defeats council efforts to stop branches opening
06/02/2025 McDonald’s has defeated councils’ attempts to stop it opening new branches by claiming the fast-food outlets promote healthier lifestyles, an investigation has revealed. |
Biodiversity Net Gain ‘failing to deliver’
06/02/2025 A lack of ambition on Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) has left the scheme failing to deliver, according to new research. |
Council green lights UK’s biggest battery site
30/01/2025 City of Doncaster Council has granted planning permission for what is billed to be the UK’s biggest battery site. |
Mayor warns of creating 'behemoths'
22/01/2025 A mayor has warned of creating local government ‘behemoths' overburdened with responsibilities. |
Tackling the ecological skills gap
21/01/2025 Catherine Spitzer, chief executive of Environment Bank, explains how private investment can help councils that are struggling to attract skilled ecologists. |
Cabinet ministers support plans for new Chinese embassy
17/01/2025 The Government has backed the Chinese Government's plans for a major new embassy complex at Royal Mint Court near the City of London. |
Former minister Maclean among 38 new peers
23/12/2024 Former Conservative housing and planning minister Rachel Maclean is among 38 new peers who will enter the House of Lords. |
Government changes rules to spot slow planners
17/12/2024 The speed with which councils decide planning applications will be assessed over a shorter time period by the Government. |
Plans for Europe’s joint-tallest building approved
16/12/2024 London's skyline is set to be transformed with the erection of a 74-storey tower, which is the same height as the Shard, Western Europe’s tallest building. |
EV chargepoints ‘on track’ for 2030 goal but challenges remain
13/12/2024 The UK is on track to reach 300,000 public electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints by 2030, the national public spending watchdog has found. |
Mandatory housebuilding targets confirmed
12/12/2024 English councils must deliver on an ‘ambitious’ combined target of 370,000 new homes a year, the Government has confirmed. |
Rayner: NIMBYs will no longer have upper hand
09/12/2024 Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has announced plans to end the influence of NIMBYs on housebuilding, vowing they will ‘no longer have the upper hand'. |
M&S triumphant after three-year demolition bid
06/12/2024 Oxford Street’s M&S store can be demolished, the Government has ruled, more than three years after the retailer submitted plans to rebuild the flagship shop. |
Rayner may intervene over plans for tower block near synagogue
26/11/2024 The Government could step in amid a dispute over plans to build a 43-storey office block near Britain’s oldest synagogue in London. |
Councils get £47m for new homes stalled by nutrient neutrality rules
07/11/2024 Seven areas in England will benefit from a share of £45m to ‘unblock’ new housing developments that have been stalled by rules on nutrient neutrality. |
Planning policy fails to cut car reliance
06/11/2024 A national planning objective to promote sustainable transport has failed to reduce car reliance in new housing developments, research has revealed. |
Oil firm continues production despite Supreme Court ruling
28/10/2024 Surrey County Council is considering enforcement action against an oil company that is operating two wells in the county, despite a Supreme Court ruling. |
Councils 'sitting on' £8bn of s106 and CIL money
21/10/2024 Councils in England and Wales have failed to spend over £8bn of section 106 and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) money, according to a new report. |
Planning departments hit hardest by staff shortages
14/10/2024 Planning departments are facing the worst workforce shortages, with eight out of 10 experiencing recruitment and retention issues, new research has revealed. |
Sky to appeal film studio planning refusal
14/10/2024 Broadcaster Sky is planning to appeal Hertsmere Borough Council's decision to refuse planning permission for an expansion of Sky Studios Elstree. |
Council leaders call for Government approval of hospital plans
10/10/2024 Council leaders have called for Government approval of plans for a new hospital ahead of the Autumn Budget. |
Permission given for 7,000 homes in flood zones
09/10/2024 Planning permission has been granted to build more than 7,000 homes in the areas at the highest risk of flooding in England, a new report has revealed. |
Rayner to decide on Hollywood-backed studio plan
09/10/2024 Buckinghamshire Council’s decision to reject plans for a multi-million-pound film studio is set to be reviewed by the Government. |
Housing targets ‘weaken local decision making’, LGA warns
03/10/2024 The Local Government Association (LGA) has raised concerns that mandatory housebuilding targets for councils centralise policy and weaken local decision making. |
Council ‘alarmed’ by local plan rejection
02/10/2024 The leader of Oxford City Council has said she is ‘alarmed’ after planning inspectors recommended the council withdraw its draft local plan. |
Building costs may exceed house prices in 60 council areas
01/10/2024 The cost of building a home may be higher than house prices in up to 60 UK local authority areas, according to new research. |
Councils warn over ‘excessive’ housing targets
27/09/2024 Councils in county and rural areas have raised fears that ‘excessive’ new housing targets could leave them at the mercy of speculative development. |
A new outlook for strategic planning
26/09/2024 Mike Best at Turley looks at the future of strategic planning under a Labour Government. |
Localis: Counterproductive ‘tax landscape’ threatens pubs
23/09/2024 A think tank has warned that a ‘counterproductive regulatory and tax landscape’ threatens the future of local pubs. |
Council overruled as new incinerator gets go-ahead
18/09/2024 Dorset Council has accused the Government of ignoring residents’ views by approving a new waste incinerator on the Jurassic coastline. |
'Larger projects slowing down housebuilding rate'
18/09/2024 The speed of approving large developments is slowing down the rate of housebuilding in the UK rather than refusals, research from Warwick University has found. |
Ministers back Khan to pedestrianise Oxford Street
17/09/2024 The mayor of London has unveiled government-backed plans to pedestrianise the capital's most famous shopping street. |
High Court blocks Cumbria coal mine plan
16/09/2024 The High Court has quashed the planning permission granted for the UK’s first new deep coal mine in 30 years. |
Affordable housing at risk in cash-strapped council areas
10/09/2024 Half of the councils most impacted by austerity have not built any affordable homes using contributions from private developers since 2010, a think-tank has found. |
Man United joins regeneration drive
10/09/2024 Manchester United has joined forces with Trafford Council and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to maximise regeneration opportunities. |
Devolution key to net zero transition, think-tank says
10/09/2024 Devolving powers to cities will be critical to the Government achieving its net zero goals, a think-tank has argued. |
New homes should be for Welsh speakers, council says
06/09/2024 A community council in Wales has objected to plans for a new affordable housing development amid fears of a decline in non-Welsh speakers. |
£27m flood protection scheme gets the go-ahead
06/09/2024 Balfour Beatty has been awarded a £27m contract to deliver a flood protection scheme in Scotland on behalf of Perth and Kinross Council. |
Controversial plans to build asylum site at RAF Scampton axed
06/09/2024 RAF Scampton will no longer be used to house asylum seekers, according to the local authority. |
John Lewis submits plans for £80m Reading housing scheme
04/09/2024 The John Lewis Partnership (JLP) has submitted plans to Reading Borough Council to build new rental housing on the site of a disused town centre depot. |
Planning ‘dysfunction’ leaves new homes vulnerable to floods
03/09/2024 ‘Dysfunction’ in the English planning system is leaving new housing development vulnerable to flood risks, according to a report published today. |
Appointment to oversee shared planning service
02/09/2024 Guildford and Waverley BCs have appointed a single head to oversee shared planning services. |
Placing accessibility at the centre of house building
30/08/2024 Disabled architect and renowned access consultant, Amy Francis-Smith, argues that accessibility should be the focus of new local government house building. |
Manchester councillors approve 71-storey tower
30/08/2024 Councillors in Manchester have approved plans for five new skyscrapers that will provide no affordable housing among 2,388 flats. |
Councillors back controversial £1bn regen scheme
30/08/2024 Tower Hamlets Council members have granted planning permission to media mogul Richard Desmond's controversial £1bn development scheme on the Isle of Dogs. |
Council chiefs welcome New Homes Accelerator
29/08/2024 Local government leaders welcome the launch of a New Homes Accelerator, which has been tasked with speeding up the delivery of stalled housing sites. |
Row over collapse of legal action
22/08/2024 Proposed legal action over the Government granting planning permission for a large-scale solar farm has collapsed, provoking an angry reaction from two councils. |
Council reluctantly puts forward extra housing sites
22/08/2024 West Berkshire Council has proposed additional housebuilding sites ‘with great reluctance’ following a demand from a planning inspector. |
Councils to take legal action over solar farm permission
08/08/2024 Suffolk County Council has initiated legal proceedings in a bid to secure more funding after the new Government approved a large-scale solar farm. |
Ensuring packaged pump stations meet utility standards
30/07/2024 Helen Wilson, industry & infrastructure UK manager at Xylem UK, answers the questions developers may ask before selecting a pumping station. |
The Housing Crisis: a long road ahead
30/07/2024 Vistry’s CEO of Partnerships & Regeneration, Stephen Teagle, looks at what needs to be done to deliver more affordable housing. |
Government to kick off planning consultation
29/07/2024 The Government will release a promised consultation on its updated National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) tomorrow. |
Bromley first to approve John Lewis homes
26/07/2024 Councillors have approved retailer John Lewis’ plans to build a housing block above a Waitrose store in Bromley town centre. |
Interview: Fighting climate change in court and as a councillor
25/07/2024 Fresh from a landmark legal win said to have ‘fundamentally changed’ the planning landscape around fossil fuels, Sarah Finch chats to LocalGov about her experience taking action on the climate – both in the courts, and as a councillor. |
Call for clarity on decarbonising buildings
25/07/2024 The Government’s net zero and economic growth ambitions could be ‘derailed by a lack of clarity’ on decarbonising older buildings, a report has argued. |
Planning funding restoration needed to meet homes target
23/07/2024 Labour will have to return planning department funding back to 2010 levels to achieve its ambition of 1.5 million homes, a network of councils has said. |
York council green lights government hub
23/07/2024 City of York Council has signed off on plans to construct a six-storey government hub near the city centre. |
Plans to boost Teesside Freeport vehicle and access approved
22/07/2024 Plans for new transport facilities to support the growing number of vehicles entering the Teesworks site on Teesside have been given the green light. |
King’s Speech: Labour commits to ‘modernising planning committees’
17/07/2024 The Labour Government will deliver its aim of building 1.5 million houses by ‘modernising planning committees.’ |
King's Speech: Devolution takes centre stage
17/07/2024 The announcement of an English Devolution Bill took centre stage in the King's Speech. |
King's Speech: A plan for devolution
17/07/2024 The new Labour Government has set out a widespread plan for devolution and economic growth in its Parliamentary timetable, with central diktat reserved for planning proposals. |
Council faces legal challenge over poultry unit
15/07/2024 A legal challenge has been launched over Shropshire Council’s decision to grant planning permission for a major intensive poultry unit. |
Plans for £2.3bn ‘Venice of Britain’ scrapped
15/07/2024 Planning applications for a £2.3bn town on the site of a former power station on the Hampshire coast have been withdrawn. |
Pro-growth planning could deliver 407,000 jobs
10/07/2024 A pro-growth planning environment could deliver 407,000 jobs and 55.7 million square feet of commercial floorspace in central London by 2045, study says. |
The Grey Belt: Is it the panacea that is needed?
10/07/2024 The new Government plans to ‘get Britain building again’ by releasing 'Grey Belt' land. William Nichols, Regional Director, Lanpro looks at what this means. |
