Town planning news & analysis

The latest UK town planning news, including development management, housing, retail & town centres, development plans, key appeal decisions, NPPF and changes to the planning system.

Take a look at our new email news bulletins.

Page Title RSS feed

Latest News

10 key things that happened this week

By Michael Donnelly, 20 September 2018

Ten of the biggest stories from the past week, including news that new government figures show that the number of households in England is set to increase at an average annual rate of 159,000 over the next 25 years - a drop of almost a quarter compared to the previous estimates.

What would happen to the NPPF if the High Court declares the framework to be unlawful?

By John Geoghegan, 20 September 2018

Campaign group Friends of the Earth has said it wants the new National Planning Policy Framework to be declared unlawful by the High Court but not quashed. However, commentators have said that, in practice, such a declaration would amount to striking down the framework in legal terms.

The implications of a Hertfordshire local plan holding direction for planners

By David Dewar, 20 September 2018

A last-minute holding direction issued by the housing secretary barring East Hertfordshire District Council (EHDC) from adopting its local plan could cause uncertainty for both councils and developers, practitioners say.

Planning Officer (Career Grade) - Local Authority Leicestershire County Council Leicestershire
Principal Planning Officer - Local Authority Leicestershire County Council Leicestershire
Planning Manager London Borough of Waltham Forest Waltham Forest, London (Greater)
Senior Town Planner+ | North Yorkshire | Full or Part time | Flexible + Remote working Lewis Davey North Yorkshire
Planning Director / Planning Manager - Lancashire Lewis Davey Lancashire

Latest Features & Analysis

What councils can do about climate change

Planning authorities have plenty of tools available to tackle the impacts of climate change, but not always the resources or skills to employ them, reports Colin Marrs.

How a court challenge to the revised NPPF could affect the system

Views vary on whether an environmental group's attempt to get the government's revised statement of national policy declared unlawful has a realistic chance of success.

Is the green belt really under threat?

The latest report from the Campaign to Protect Rural England shows a huge jump in the use of green belt land for building. But is this accurate? Colin Marrs examines the figures.

Policy Summary: The government's plan for strengthening Local Enterprise Partnerships

POLICY: Strengthened Local Enterprise Partnerships.

Latest Comment

Legal Viewpoint: Report sets new directions on infrastructure for growth

By Roy Pinnock, 20 September 2018

This month's Commons housing, communities and local government select committee land value capture inquiry report highlights ways the planning system can anticipate and recover the costs of infrastructure needed to deliver growth.

Why we shouldn't abandon all hope (value), by Joey Gardiner

By Joey Gardiner, 20 September 2018

Hope value is the name attributed to value given to land by the prospect of a future planning permission - a permission that might be the difference between £10,000 per hectare agricultural value and £1m per hectare-plus residential price.

Ministers' timetable for spurring private sector housing delivery is unclear, by Richard Garlick

By Richard Garlick, 13 September 2018

This coming month will see the introduction of several measures intended to put more pressure on planning authorities to help meet housing need.

Legal Viewpoint: Ruling clarifies position on refusal to consider appeals

By Richard Kimblin, 6 September 2018

A telecommunications company's High Court challenge against a Planning Inspectorate (PINS) decision to refuse to consider a series of planning appeals raises both practical and technical issues for planning consultants, local authorities and lawyers.

Strategic planning has been key to Chinese economic development, by Cliff Hague

By Cliff Hague, 6 September 2018

Governments in the UK have fretted for four decades about ways to deregulate planning so as to speed development and economic growth. If they had looked through the other end of the telescope, and asked how they could strengthen the planning system to deliver growth, the results would have been more impressive.

Growth deals must be realistic as well as ambitious, by Catriona Riddell

By Catriona Riddell, 30 August 2018

The word 'ambition' has been used a lot in recent months, particularly in relation to the growth deals being negotiated between the government and local authorities.

News & Analysis

Our Events