Sharpening the commercial edge
The case for well-managed council commercial activity is one that needs to be defended if we want a mature and sustainable local state, argues Jonathan Werran.
District urges Government to rethink Stansted Airport expansion plans
11/06/2021 The planning inspectorate’s decision to allow an appeal over the expansion of Stansted Airport has been branded an ‘insult to local democracy’ by the leader of Uttlesford District Council. |
MPs call for councils to be given more powers to tackle ‘land banking’
10/06/2021 Local authorities should be granted more powers to act where developers are too slow in completing sites they have planning permission for, MPs say. |
Oxford-Cambridge Arc: environment actions not rhetoric
04/06/2021 Cllr Bridget Smith outlines the five Principles that will turn the Ox-Cam region into a ‘Green Arc.’ |
Developers challenge accusations of 'land banking'
02/06/2021 A new report challenges the Local Government Association’s (LGA) claim that the housing crisis is largely down to a reluctance by developers to build and argues that the real problem is a shortage of planning permissions. |
10 councils chosen to pilot digital planning tools
02/06/2021 The use of digital tools in the planning process will be tested by 10 councils as part of a Government pilot. |
Report calls for greater council powers to protect future of high street
26/05/2021 Councils and local communities should be given more power to decide the future of their high streets, a new report has argued today. |
Councils given £50,000 to develop design codes
24/05/2021 Planners have welcomed the Government’s announcement that 14 local authorities will be given £50,000 each to develop new design codes but called for more funds for local planning teams. |
Scrap permitted development rights, council chiefs say
17/05/2021 Office blocks left empty following the pandemic risk being turned into substandard housing because of permitted development rights (PDRs), council chiefs say. |
Queen’s Speech: New law to ‘modernise’ planning system
11/05/2021 The Government has pledged to push ahead with reforms to the planning system in order to meet house-building targets. |
Queen's Speech: No social care solution in sight
11/05/2021 The Queen’s Speech has said proposals on social care reform will be brought forward – but it fell short of a commitment to legislation in this Parliament. |
Over 1.1 million homes with planning permission waiting to be built, LGA finds
10/05/2021 Council chiefs are calling for more powers to incentivise developers to build more quickly as new figures reveal over a million homes are waiting to be built. |
Queen's speech: PM's 'live local and prosper' promise
09/05/2021 Levelling up, boosting the economy and backing the NHS are set to be the priorities for Tuesday’s Queen’s speech. |
Planning reform will lead to ‘tide of car traffic’, campaigners say
06/05/2021 Ten organisations have written to housing secretary Robert Jenrick urging changes to proposed planning reforms which they argue will lead to a ‘tide of car traffic’ to already overcrowded roads. |
Government's housing test is 'toothless', consultancy claims
28/04/2021 Government measures to push councils into meeting their housing targets are ‘toothless’, a development consultancy has claimed. |
Funds unveiled to support uptake of neighbourhood planning
26/04/2021 The Government is urging local planning authorities to apply for funding or take part in a pilot project to boost the uptake of neighbourhood planning. |
Housing reforms should help SMEs obtain land, think tank says
15/04/2021 There should be less focus on planning permissions and more reforms helping SME house builders access land, report says. |
Eastleigh BC permits airport expansion planning application
12/04/2021 Eastleigh Borough Council has decided to permit the planning application to extend Southampton Airport’s runway. |
'Digital twin' of Bradford city centre to be created
12/04/2021 A new project to virtually ‘clone’ Bradford city centre has been unveiled. |
Councils urged to make off-site affordable housing a higher priority
08/04/2021 A greater emphasis needs to be placed on delivering affordable housing through off-site allocations, a new report says. |
Controversial planning laws threaten to do ‘more harm than good’
31/03/2021 New planning laws coming into force today will allow commercial premises to be converted into homes without requiring a full planning application. |
Planning for climate power
25/03/2021 A new report from APSE Energy looks at the practical ways in which the power of planning can be harnessed to embed climate change ambitions, say Phil Brennan and Paul O’Brien. |
East Midlands councils launch development corporation
24/03/2021 A consortium of local authorities in the East Midlands is taking a major step forwards with proposals to launch a body which could trial a new model for planning and cross-regional economic development. |
MPs launch inquiry into controversial permitted development rights
24/03/2021 The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee has launched a new inquiry to examine the Government’s approach to permitted development rights (PDRs). |
Private outdoor space for public housing: how much is enough?
23/03/2021 Recommendations for private outdoor space standards for public housing could help local authorities optimise those benefits for residents. Paul Miller reports. |
Public inquiry to be held into Cumbrian coal mine
12/03/2021 The Government has 'called in' planing approval of a new coal mine near Whitehaven by Cumbria County Council. |
Jenrick outlines measures to support al fresco dining
08/03/2021 Councils have been told pavement licenses will be extended for a further 12 months to support the reopening of outdoors hospitality. |
The future of design guides and codes
05/03/2021 Jane Dann explains how the proposed National Planning Policy Framework and National Model Design Code changes will impact on future design codes. |
Beware the agent of change
26/02/2021 Tom Cosgrove explains what planning decisions should be made to avoid significant adverse impacts from noise. |
Labour calls for council powers to intervene in high streets
25/02/2021 Proposals for councils to take over empty shops and a ‘wholesale reform’ of business rates have been put forward by Labour. |
Pressure on Green Belt quadruples, warn campaigners
25/02/2021 More than a quarter of a million homes are proposed on greenfield land in advanced local plans, campaigners have warned. |
Council gives go-ahead to Everton FC’s new stadium plans
24/02/2021 Liverpool City Council have approved Everton FC’s plans for a new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock and a community-led legacy project at Goodison Park. |
Think tank calls for a ‘street votes’ approach in the suburbs
17/02/2021 Local residents should be given the power to set their own local development rules at a street level, and share the wealth created by new housing, a think tank has proposed today. |
Coalition warns 'uncontrolled conversions' will damage high streets
11/02/2021 A coalition of industry bodies have warned the Government's proposals for blanket permitted development right will damage high streets and add extra financial burdens on local authorities. |
Planning inspector backs council over affordable housing decision
05/02/2021 Trafford Council was right to refuse permission for a new development that had no affordable housing, a planning inspector has ruled. |
Councils urged to create local design code under new rules
01/02/2021 Councils will be required to create their own local design code to ensure all new housing developments meet local standards of quality and design. |
The provision of employment space
01/02/2021 In a climate of negligible employment land release where are the unemployment to find employment? Andy Jansons reports. |
Lack of data affecting decision on local energy projects, councils warn
26/01/2021 The majority of councils are struggling to access the data they need to make informed decisions around local energy projects, a new survey has revealed. |
Councils urged to update their Local Plans
20/01/2021 A small number of councils are failing to keep their Local Plans up-to-date, the housing minister has warned. |
Controversial statues to require planning permission before removal
18/01/2021 Individuals who want to remove any historic statue will now require listed building consent or planning permission, Robert Jenrick has announced. |
Coalition publishes new vision for planning reforms
15/01/2021 The Government has been urged to rethink its ‘damaging’ reforms to the planning system and put people, climate and nature at its heart by a coalition of 18 organisations. |
Could safe pedestrianisation secure a greener more prosperous future after COVID?
13/01/2021 Deborah Ainscough discusses the potential benefits of temporary pedestrianisation for local authorities and the safety considerations for pedestrianisation planning. |
Report finds data problems in Brownfield Land Registers
12/01/2021 More than 348,000 homes could be built on unregistered brownfield land, an investigation has revealed. |
Top 100: Our most popular local government stories of 2020
16/12/2020 Although the dispute over council pay caused the most stir in the local government sector this year, the impact of dealing with the pandemic obviously dominated the headlines as well. |
Jenrick announces revised plan for housing algorithum
16/12/2020 The Government has announced a raft of new measures in an attempt to provide much-needed homes in urban areas and on brownfield sites. |
Developers yet to apply for planning permission for over a million homes, councils find
11/12/2020 Developers have failed to seek planning permission for more than a million homes on land earmarked for development by councils, according to new research. |
Thousands of councillors call for rethink on planning reforms
10/12/2020 Over 2,000 councillors have called on the Government to rethink its planning proposals, warning the changes will lead to an ‘unacceptable loss’ of local democracy and scrutiny. |
Jenrick outlines fast track planning service for public buildings
04/12/2020 Councils will have a legal duty to make decisions on new schools and hospitals within 10 weeks under reforms to the planning system. |
London boroughs accused of ‘optimism bias’ on housing targets
04/12/2020 London could face a 86,000 shortfall of new homes over the next decade due to 'over optimistic projections', new research has argued. |
Shops to open longer in run up to Christmas
01/12/2020 Retailers will be able to extend their daily opening hours from Monday to Saturday in the run up to Christmas and through January, the communities secretary has announced. |
Garden communities – context and complexities
27/11/2020 David Churchill warns the Local Plan process could potentially cripple the delivering of ambitious long-term development projects. |
Future affordable housing must deliver big on space
25/11/2020 Local authorities are under pressure to deliver more affordable housing but while the focus is largely on quantity, this shouldn’t come at the expense of quality, writes Jonathan Pearson. |
Planning reforms could be a ‘set-back’ for affordable homes, survey warns
11/11/2020 The majority of social landlords (85%) have warned the Government’s planning reforms will lead to less social and affordable housing, according to the results of a new survey. |
Homes England funding rule undermines ‘levelling-up agenda’
02/11/2020 A disproportionate amount of Government funding for housing is being given to the UK’s most affluent areas, a property consultancy firm has calculated. |
Councils urged to approve more self-build homes
30/10/2020 Councils should grant enough planning permission to meet local demand for self-build, the Government has said today. |
Why digitising the planning process is a gamechanger
26/10/2020 There is a strong need for digital technology in planning to make it more efficient, speed up the process and de-risk decisions, argues Alex Tosetti. |
Taking planning and building control to the cloud
22/10/2020 Elena White explains how Isle of Anglesey County Council has been utilising the cloud to transform its planning and building control applications. |
Calls for collaboration to fill the ‘strategic planning void’
21/10/2020 Closer collaboration between councils, health bodies and businesses could ‘reinvigorate strategic planning’ a new report has argued. |
Capacity for 1.3 million homes on brownfield land, campaigners reveal
21/10/2020 There is enough brownfield land to deliver 1.3 million new homes, new analysis has revealed. |
Welsh councils given new powers to buy empty homes
16/10/2020 Councils in Wales will be allowed to compulsory purchase empty houses and vacant land under new planning rules. |
Housebuilders call to raise threshold for affordable homes
15/10/2020 Raising the affordable homes threshold would help boost smaller developments, the National Federation of Builders (NFB) has argued. |
Automatic planning
13/10/2020 The new reforms mean local authorities need to mobilise, but is this what’s really required? Paul Beaney reports. |
Community involvement in local planning - why Local Plans hold the answer
12/10/2020 Alex Yedigaroff argues the planning white paper presents a great opportunity for local authorities to promote the importance of Local Plans to their communities. |
The impacts of planning reform on employment land
08/10/2020 Where will the recent and proposed reforms to the planning system take us? Stuart Hardisty reports. |
Planning reforms risk delivery of affordable homes, council chiefs warn
07/10/2020 Communities could have missed out on 30,000 affordable homes in the past five years if proposed Government planning reforms were in place, local leaders warn. |
Jenrick: Permitted Development Right homes must meet space standards
01/10/2020 All new homes in England delivered through any Permitted Development Right (PDR) must meet space standards, the housing secretary Robert Jenrick yesterday announced. |
Planning proposals will 'disempower' councils
28/09/2020 The Lib Dems have used their autumn conference to warn that the Government’s planning proposals will ‘disempower’ councils. |
Tens of thousands of homes built after ‘bypassing’ planning system
23/09/2020 The Government’s approach to regulating the quality of new homes is ‘broken’, campaigners say as a new study argues that tens of thousands of homes have legally avoided the planning system. |
Councils warn of 'housebuilding fiasco'
15/09/2020 New government housing targets will lead to a north-south divide in England, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned. |
Four in ten homes granted planning permission go unbuilt, research shows
04/09/2020 The backlog of unbuilt homes that have been granted planning permission has grown by 100,00 in the last year, new research has revealed. |
Mayor of Liverpool quashes zip wire plan
03/09/2020 The mayor of Liverpool has intervened to stop a plan to build a zip wire that would have ended at Liverpool Central Library. |
MPs call for evidence to support ‘suburban renaissance’
18/08/2020 The cross-party Suburban Taskforce has today launched a public ‘Call for Evidence’ to help chart a course towards what it describes as a ‘suburban renaissance’ across the country. |
Funding boost for neighbourhood planning groups
10/08/2020 Grants to neighbourhood planning groups in urban and deprived areas has nearly doubled, the Government has announced. |
Reforms to fast-track local plans
06/08/2020 Councils will face sanctions unless they draw-up local plans within 30 months under government proposals to overhaul the planning system. |
Councils urged to tackle corruption in the planning process
03/08/2020 Councils across England need to improve the way they manage the risk of corruption in the planning process, Transparency International UK has warned. |
Following Orders: five actions necessary for DCOs
29/07/2020 Matthew Spry and Nicki Mableson argue that approving large housing schemes under a Development Consent Order will need clear guidance. |
Majority of councils lack expertise to deal with flood risk, survey reveals
28/07/2020 Local authorities are facing a critical shortage of the expertise needed to plan for climate change, a new survey has found. |
New design toolkit to create 'healthy housing'
24/07/2020 New design guidance to ensure housing developments create healthier communities has been launched. |
Will ‘Build Build Build’ help construct council housing?
20/07/2020 Will ' Project Speed' helps councils to build more housing? Paul Butterworth reports. |
Planning system is failing housing for the elderly, report finds
14/07/2020 The vast majority of housing-with-care planning applications are speculative, new research has revealed. |
Planning reforms to boost renewable energy
14/07/2020 Planning rules have been relaxed to make it easier to build large batteries to store renewable energy from solar and wind farms. |
Planning changes to protect theatres and music venues
13/07/2020 New planning rules to protect theatres, concert halls and live music performance venues from being demolished or redeveloped will come into effect next week. |
It’s time to get building
10/07/2020 Arshad Bhatti explains how airspace can help hit affordable housing targets. |
Planning reforms present 'dangers' for disabled peopled, Lord Holmes warns
07/07/2020 The relaxation of planning rules poses 'serious dangers' for disabled people, Lord Holmes has warned. |
MPs refuse to back down on Westferry
01/07/2020 MPs have refused to accept the Prime Minister’s attempts to close down questions over Robert Jenrick’s decision on the Westferry Printworks planning application. |
Approval for Huawei’s £1bn research centre
26/06/2020 Approval has been given to Huawei's new research and development centre in Swaston, Cambridge. |
Planning rules relaxed to support outdoor dining
26/06/2020 The Government has temporarily lifted planning rules to allow pubs, restaurants and cafes to serve customers outdoors. |
Council criticised over loss of bat habitat
25/06/2020 Warwick District Council failed to consider bat habitats when approving a new development, an ombudsman has found. |
Calls for a flexible zoning system to end housing crisis
23/06/2020 A flexible zoning system would help build more homes in the UK and end the housing crisis, a new report has argued. |
Whitehall extends planning permission deadlines
22/06/2020 The Government has extended planning permission deadlines to ensure hundreds of construction projects do not run out of time during the pandemic. |
Council planning powers under threat
08/06/2020 Planning powers could be shifted from local authorities to development corporations as part of an economic stimulus package to be announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson later this month. |
Council apologises for 'oversight' on processing 5G mast planning applications
28/05/2020 Sheffield City Council has apologised after failing to process planning applications for three 5G masts in time. |
Westferry Printworks scheme quashed after Jenrick accused of 'bias'
27/05/2020 The Government has agreed to revoke planning permission for the former Westferry Printworks on the Isle of Dogs after being accused of bias towards the developer. |
Rejection for two out of three garden communities in Essex
21/05/2020 Proposals for two new garden communities put forward by three district councils have been rejected by the Planning Inspectorate. |
Securing the best sites for future development
15/05/2020 Katja Stille explains why a more strategic approach is needed for site allocation. |
Councillors show support for remote planning consultations
23/04/2020 Nearly two-thirds of councillors are concerned about the impact Covid-19 will have on planning applications, a new survey has revealed. |
Councils report tensions over Public Right of Way
22/04/2020 A new survey has found 90% of councils have reported increasing tensions between landowners and the public over right of way. |
Planning for planning reform
14/04/2020 Karen Cooksley outlines the three proposals for planning reform that will have the most impact on local authorities and why they require further scrutiny. |
Video conferencing first at council meeting
02/04/2020 A council used software to help decide key planning applications in what is believed to be the first meeting of its kind in the country. |
Building beautiful
31/03/2020 Edward Nash argues the challenge of embracing beauty is an opportunity for communities. |
Councils to be fully funded for coronavirus costs
18/03/2020 Councils in England will be fully funded for implementing measures to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, the chancellor has confirmed. |
This issue of Public Property examines how how flexible workspaces can lead the way in regeneration for local authorities, Why local authority intervention is key to successful urban regeneration schemes and if the Government’s challenge of embracing beauty is an opportunity for communities.
The March issue also takes a closer look at Blackburn with Darwen Council's first digital health hub to help people gain control over health and care services.
