Planning | LocalGov

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.

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.

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