Planning | LocalGov

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Planning applications for a £2.3bn town on the site of a former power station on the Hampshire coast have been withdrawn.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.

Rayner: Labour ready to ‘transfer power out of Whitehall’

09/07/2024

Deputy PM Angela Rayner is set to tell regional mayors that Labour is ready to ‘transfer power out of Whitehall’ through a major programme of devolution.

Reeves: Labour set to bring back housebuilding targets

08/07/2024

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to announce today that she will bring back compulsory housebuilding targets.

Pub owner threatened with legal action over mural

03/07/2024

A landlord has been threatened with legal action by the local council after he commissioned a painting of a bull on the side of his 17th century pub.

NextGov: Resolving the housing crisis

28/06/2024

The Home Builders Federation’s (HBF) policy and external affairs manager, Laura Markus, discusses what the next government should do to tackle the housing crisis.

Labour will need to back up strategic planning 'with teeth'

27/06/2024

Labour’s proposed push for a return to strategic planning will need to be ‘backed up with teeth’, an expert has suggested.

Two-thirds of renewables projects fail to pass planning stage

25/06/2024

Almost two-thirds of applications for renewable energy projects failed to make it through the planning process in the past five years, research has revealed.

Planning officer boost needed to meet parties' housing goals

21/06/2024

A major boost to planning department resources would be needed to meet the housebuilding aims of any of the main parties, experts have said this week.

Landmark fossil fuel ruling has ‘profound’ implications for planning

20/06/2024

A historic legal judgement has ‘fundamentally changed’ the landscape around planning permission for fossil fuel extraction, campaigners have said.

Council to restrict new takeaway sites

20/06/2024

New measures to limit the development of new hot food takeaway sites have been introduced by Newcastle City Council.

Questions raised over funding for housebuilding pledges

19/06/2024

A think-tank has warned that a lack of cash for affordable housing will make political parties’ ambitious housebuilding targets difficult to achieve.

NextGov: Planning under the next government

19/06/2024

Mike Kiely, chair of the Planning Officers Society, calls on the next government to build a more efficient and effective planning system.

Planning London under Labour

17/06/2024

Grant Leggett, Executive Director and Head of Boyer’s London planning team, looks at the impact of a future Labour government on planning in London.

Norfolk opposes 184km pylon scheme

14/06/2024

Councillors in Norfolk have objected to a National Grid proposal to construct an electricity transmission line across three counties.

Birmingham councillors sign off on £1.9bn redevelopment

14/06/2024

Birmingham City Council's planning committee has given the go ahead to developer Lendlease for the £1.9bn redevelopment of the Smithfield site.

Labour manifesto pledges Right to Buy curbs

13/06/2024

Labour has opened the door to reining in Right to Buy in its manifesto, published today.

John Lewis appealing leaves Ealing reeling

12/06/2024

Ealing Council said it was ‘extremely disappointed’ after an unexpected appeal by John Lewis over the firm’s plans to build rental homes.

Council spends £1m in bid to speed up planning

12/06/2024

Wiltshire Council will pour an extra £1m into its planning department this year to process applications more quickly and improve customer service.

Conservatives pledge business rates retention expansion

11/06/2024

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to create business rates retention zones as he launched the Conservatives’ General Election manifesto today.

260,000 social homes lost in a decade

10/06/2024

More than a quarter of a million social housing homes have been lost in England in the last ten years, analysis of government statistics has found.

The flaws in ‘Clarkson’s clause’

10/06/2024

Following Jeremy Clarkson-inspired legislative changes around planning permission in rural areas, Kerry Booth, Rural Services Network, shares her concerns.

Birmingham planners back £1.9bn Smithfield redevelopment

07/06/2024

Plans to redevelop Birmingham’s former Smithfield wholesale markets have taken another step forward as city council planners recommend approval.

Council demolishes ‘Britain's biggest man cave’

03/06/2024

Forest of Dean District Council has set to work demolishing a leisure complex that was built without planning permission by a local millionaire.

Council rejects film studio plans despite Hollywood backing

31/05/2024

Buckinghamshire councillors have rejected permission for a proposed film studio despite the plans receiving the backing of Hollywood royalty.

High Court judge in trees ruling

31/05/2024

Councils and developers relying on planning permission exemptions to preservation orders cannot automatically cut down protected trees, High Court rules.

High Court dismisses Bibby Stockholm legal challenge

23/05/2024

The High Court has dismissed a legal case challenging the Government’s controversial use of the Bibby Stockholm barge to house asylum seekers off the coast.

Housing crisis has become ‘significantly worse’ in past year

21/05/2024

Three-quarters of councillors believe the housing crisis has become significantly worse in the past year, according to a major survey of planning authorities in England and Wales.

‘Clarkson's clause’ introduced to cut red tape for farmers

21/05/2024

New planning laws coming into effect today will enable farmers to convert disused agricultural buildings into homes and shops without planning permission.

Auditors raise doubts over biodiversity enforcement

17/05/2024

Auditors have questioned whether local authorities will be able to effectively ensure compliance and enforcement of biodiversity net gain (BNG).

Councils urged not to approve solar farms on farmland

15/05/2024

The Government is set today to warn councils that they should not grant planning permission for solar farms on high-quality farmland unless ‘necessary’.

Think-tank calls for regeneration funding overhaul

07/05/2024

Councils should be able to hold a regeneration account to more efficiently allocate capital for regeneration projects, a think-tank has argued.

Demolition of Only Fools and Horses tower set for 2027

07/05/2024

The iconic London tower block whose exterior served as Nelson Mandela House in the opening credits of Only Fools and Horses is set to be demolished in 2027.

Councils spend £45m on planning appeal advice

03/05/2024

Councils spent £45m over the past three years on external legal advice relating to planning appeals, according to a freedom of information request.

Councils cut back housebuilding plans

03/05/2024

New research has found that 15 local authorities have recently cut the number of homes they intend to build over the next decade by at least 10%.

Council loses £600k buying back land it sold ‘wrongly’

02/05/2024

Shrewsbury Town Council has spent £1.34m buying back land it had ‘wrongly’ deemed ‘surplus to requirements’.

Crooked House inquiry postponed

02/05/2024

An inquiry into South Staffordshire Council’s order for the Crooked House to be rebuilt has been postponed.

Bristol officers accused of 'misleading' over development

26/04/2024

Officers at Bristol City Council have been accused of providing ‘misleading’ advice linked to a decision to approve a controversial 28-storey development.

Brum councillors reject ‘bonkers’ skyscraper scheme

26/04/2024

Birmingham City Council members have rejected a planning proposal for a 42-storey skyscraper to be built atop a Grade-II listed former hospital.

Avatar director James Cameron backs studio plans

24/04/2024

Oscar winning film director James Cameron has thrown his weight behind proposals for a new film studio in west of London.

Leveraging data to reverse the planning staff decline

22/04/2024

Scott Goodwin, divisional director Land, Property and Public Protection, Idox, explains how rapid access to easily consumed data can transform planning teams.

Asylum seekers moved from RAF Wethersfield due to incomplete safety checks

18/04/2024

The Home Office has moved 70 people away from an asylum accommodation site after it failed to complete necessary safety checks on time.

Officers recommend refusal of Birmingham skyscraper plans

18/04/2024

Plans for a 42-storey skyscraper in Birmingham city centre have been recommended for refusal over heritage concerns.

Sandringham to go solar

17/04/2024

Planning documents submitted to the Borough Council of King's Lynn & West Norfolk have revealed King Charles's plans for a solar farm at Sandringham.

Council charges for ‘fast-track’ planning service

03/04/2024

Residents in Epsom and Ewell can pay to have planning applications decided faster as part of a new council service.

Crooked House owners appeal against rebuild order

28/03/2024

The owners of ‘Britain’s wonkiest inn’ have lodged an appeal against an order to rebuild the popular lopsided pub.

Aslyum centre site could host prison

25/03/2024

Braintree DC has warned it faces intervention from a second Government department when the Home Office ends its use of a former airfield as an asylum centre.

Call for reintroduction of housing targets

22/03/2024

A cross-party coalition representing 27 mid-sized regional British cities has called for the next Government to reintroduce local housebuilding targets.

Planning permission for large solar farm refused

21/03/2024

The Government has turned down plans to build a large solar farm in rural Northamptonshire.

Planning for senior housing ‘stalled’, survey reveals

21/03/2024

Less than a third of local authorities do not have clear policies in place to support housing for seniors, new research has revealed.

Hopes for regen scheme revived after Home Office scales back asylum plan

20/03/2024

A £300m council-led regeneration scheme threatened when Whitehall commandeered the site for asylum accommodation could now go ahead.

‘Toxic’ 15-minute city phrase cut from Oxford local plan

08/03/2024

Oxford City Council has removed mention of ‘15-minute cities’ from its local plan, claiming the concept has become ‘too toxic and incendiary’, The Times has reported.

Gove urged to ‘listen’ to Cambridge on housing plans

07/03/2024

Communities need ‘far more detail’ and to have their say on government plans for a major expansion of housing around Cambridge, local leaders have said.

Mayor accused of pushing for unlawful planning committee change

04/03/2024

Mayor Ben Houchen and Simon Clarke MP have been accused of trying to pressure Redcar and Cleveland's planning committee to act unlawfully.

High Court overrules Gove on M&S demolition

04/03/2024

The Government’s decision to block Marks & Spencer’s plans to demolish and redevelop its flagship central London store was unlawful, the High Court has ruled.

Drive to tackle planning officer shortage ‘crisis’

29/02/2024

The Government is supporting a push to address the nationwide shortage of planning enforcement officers.

Councils near Gatwick raise alarm over runway plan

27/02/2024

Local authorities near Gatwick have raised concerns over the potential increase in noise and air pollution if the airport brings another runway into use.

Regulator calls for 'substantial' planning intervention

26/02/2024

The planning system requires ‘substantial intervention’ by the Government to ensure consistent delivery of new homes, a major study has concluded.

Planning inspectors acted unlawfully over council’s net zero plans

22/02/2024

Planning inspectors were wrong to describe West Oxfordshire District Council’s net zero plans for a garden village as ‘too rigorous’, a High Court judge has ruled.

£34m council land sale set for High Court

20/02/2024

The High Court will consider whether to review Hertfordshire County Council’s sale of a former airfield to a rail freight company.

‘Brownfield first’ reforms unveiled

14/02/2024

Councils in England will be told to prioritise brownfield development and be ‘less bureaucratic’ in their approach to building on previously developed land.

Historic gas lamps receive Grade II listing

13/02/2024

Four historic gas lamps in central London are set to receive Grade II-listed status.

Controversial Colston statue to move to museum

13/02/2024

The controversial Bristol statue of transatlantic slave trader Edward Colston, which was torn down by protestors in 2020, is set to be moved to a museum.

Further planning reforms on way, says Gove

12/02/2024

Empty shops could be quickly converted into homes and developers given fresh incentives to build on brownfield sites under ministers’ latest plans to expedite housebuilding.

Council apologises after Weetabix factory confusion

07/02/2024

North Northamptonshire Council apologises after confusion over the location of a Weetabix factory led to the planning department consulting the wrong street.

New legal bid as long-term asylum site plans confirmed

02/02/2024

West Lindsey DC has launched a fresh legal challenge after the Home Office confirmed its intention to use RAF Scampton to house asylum seekers.

Officer-member relations ‘fractured’ at Wrexham

01/02/2024

Issues in Wrexham County Borough Council’s planning service mean it is hindered in fulfilling its role, an audit has found.

Council slams ‘lack of transparency’ over RAF Wethersfield extension

31/01/2024

Braintree District Council has criticised the Home Office after its plans emerged to extend the use of a former airfield for asylum accommodation by three years.

Greta Thunberg joins Hampshire airport protest

29/01/2024

Residents, councillors and Extinction Rebellion activists were joined by climate campaigner Greta Thunberg to protest the expansion of a private jet facility at the weekend.

Call for ‘different approach’ to brownfield

24/01/2024

A more ‘systematic, interventionist and collaborative’ method could ‘significantly’ increase the regeneration of brownfield sites in Wales, according to a new report.

City Hall to decide on Wimbledon expansion plans

23/01/2024

The Mayor of London’s office has called in a controversial planning application to expand Wimbledon’s tennis grounds.

Underfunding of planning teams barrier to growth

22/01/2024

Nine out of 10 SME home builders have warned that underfunded local authority planning departments are hindering the construction of new housing.

Local plan review process ‘ineffective’

18/01/2024

Reform is urgently required to improve the local plan review process and increase the number of up-to-date plans, according to new research.

North Yorkshire Council greenlights £21m garrison redevelopment

15/01/2024

North Yorkshire Council has signed off on a £21m redevelopment project for Catterick Garrison's town centre to offer support for Armed Forces personnel.

Survey reveals support for biodiversity scheme

10/01/2024

Most people in Britain support an upcoming requirement for developers to invest in improving local habitats, a survey has revealed.

The separation of planning and landowning powers

02/01/2024

Gemma Duncan and William Murrin, Sharpe Pritchard, discuss planning and landowning powers and the implications of a recent High Court judgement.

Thinking ahead: housing delivery in 2024

21/12/2023

With 2024 almost certain to be an election year, Colin Brown, head of Planning & Development, Carter Jonas discusses what policies for housing delivery we are likely to see discussed.

Council confirms asylum centre appeal

21/12/2023

West Lindsey DC is to appeal against the dismissal of its judicial review over the Home Office’s asylum centre plans.

Review of 2023: a year in planning

20/12/2023

Karen Charles, executive director, Boyer (part of Leaders Romans Group), takes a look back at developments in planning policy over the last year.

Councils told to revise local plan timetables

20/12/2023

The housing secretary has instructed seven local authorities to revise their timetables for delivering their local plans.

Gove threatens to strip councils of planning powers

19/12/2023

Michael Gove has threatened to strip local authorities of their responsibilities for planning if they ‘drag their feet’ when coming up with housing plans.

Council told to stick with ‘unsuitable’ local plan

01/12/2023

The Government has told Erewash Borough Council to stick with its emerging local plan, which has been branded ‘out-of-date and unsuitable’ by the authority.

PM promises to limit council tree felling

29/11/2023

Residents will have to be consulted before local authorities remove trees in their areas, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced.

Autumn Statement: Planning system to prioritise EV charging

22/11/2023

The Autumn Statement gave a major boost to the electric vehicle (EV) market with £2bn of investment and a pledge to reform the planning system.

Autumn Statement: Councils to be able to recover planning costs

22/11/2023

Councils will be able to recover the costs of business planning applications in return for being required to meet faster timelines, Chancellor says.

High Court approves M&S judicial review

21/11/2023

The High Court has approved an application for a judicial review from M&S after Michael Gove blocked plans to redevelop the retailers Oxford Street store.

Watchdog proposes planning reforms

16/11/2023

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has drawn up proposed reforms to the planning system.

Streamlining of local plans presents the solution to addressing housing need

13/11/2023

David Churchill, partner at Carter Jonas (London), argues that a well-informed, collaborative approach to housing delivery has the potential to reform our attitudes and approach to housebuilding.

‘Stark inconsistency’ across London on Build to Rent

08/11/2023

Planning policy across London boroughs ‘could do far more’ to provide a comprehensive basis for the delivery of Built to Rent (BtR) schemes, a report has argued.

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