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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.
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County council gets go-ahead for 805 homes on greenfield site despite affordable housing shortfall
An East Midlands county council has secured consent for an 800-home development on a greenfield site, despite the scheme falling short of local affordable housing requirements.

Plans submitted for solar 'green hydrogen' facility in Dorset green belt
A renewable energy company has submitted a planning application to produce so-called 'green hydrogen' from a new solar farm in the Dorset green belt.

Campaigners mull legal action after councillors overturn planning committee vote to approve Southampton Airport runway extension
Campaigners have said they are taking legal advice after full council members resolved to approve plans for an extension to Southampton International Airport’s runway, overturning a separate planning committee vote against the application on climate change grounds.
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Green light for 1,300-home West Sussex scheme with 80% biodiversity net gain on site allocated for 1,000 units
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High street regeneration plans 'show tentative shift to economic future beyond retail'
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Ten planning-related promises in Sadiq Khan's mayoral election manifesto
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Plans approved for 2,100-home west London Tesco and Homebase redevelopments
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‘Britain's most luxurious shed to be torn down as members regard it as a bungalow’
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Three councils to ask PINS to confirm their housing land supply positions for a year
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11 things you need to know about the government's First Homes proposals
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The lessons for planning teams of the government's Liverpool City Council probe
- Planning Policy Monitoring Officer Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
- Principal Planning Policy Officer Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
- Senior Planner – Development Management Medway Council Medway Council, Gun Wharf, Dock Road, Chatham, Kent ME4 4TR
- Specialist Advisor – Conservation Lewes District and Eastbourne Borough Councils Eastbourne & Lewes
- Associate Town Planner Carrington West York
- Senior Planner / Principal Planner Whaleback Planning & Design Hove, East Sussex
- Principal / Associate Planners to Director level | Energy Sector Pegasus Planning Group Limited Bristol, Cirencester and Leeds
- Senior Planner - Bristol Pegasus Planning Group Limited Bristol, UK
- Planning Director - Birmingham Beach Baker Property Recruitment Birmingham, West Midlands
- Principal Planner Phillips Planning Services Ltd Bedford, Bedfordshire
Latest Features & Analysis

The implications of a proposed NPPF tweak requiring councils planning large settlements to think longer term
A tweak to national policy would mean councils proposing large settlements in their local plans to produce 30-year "vision" documents. Practitioners said the move will require local authority plan-makers to provide more detail on how such schemes would be delivered, but said there is uncertainty over how inspectors should assess them.

Why some councils are challenging PINS over local plan failures
Two councils in Kent are challenging inspectors' verdicts that their local plans failed the duty to cooperate - one via the courts, the other through a request for ministerial intervention. Practitioners suspect the moves are a political tactic to avoid implementing unpopular development strategies but say they face little chance of success.

The challenges raised by government confirmation of the end of virtual planning committees
A decision by ministers not to extend temporary rules allowing virtual planning committees is likely to cause delays and additional cost for councils and applicants, observers have warned.

Five key planning findings and outcomes following the government’s Liverpool City Council report
A government-commissioned report, the Liverpool City Council Best Value Inspection, found numerous failures within the council, including its planning and regeneration functions, which has prompted intervention by local government secretary Robert Jenrick.
Latest Comment
A year on: How Covid has changed planning forever, by Catriona Riddell
As we pass the one year mark from our first Covid lockdown, many will be reflecting on the changes this exceptional year has brought to the world, including the way we plan places.
Why developers are worried about the new London Plan policy on tall buildings, by Joey Gardiner
Last week, controversial plans to replace the “brutalist” Kensington Forum hotel in west London with two new towers were unexpectedly withdrawn just prior to their consideration in a planning inquiry, despite receiving the backing of the mayor last autumn.
What the rest of the world can teach us about planning safer streets for women, by Cliff Hague
The tragic abduction and murder of Sarah Everard has refocused attention on women’s safety, but the response of the Westminster government suggests that some re-education would not go amiss.
Letter: A council’s local plan challenge reveals a lack of will to grapple with housing numbers
A Kent council has challenged criticism by inspectors of its local plan, which reveals a lack of willingness among some authorities to boost housing numbers and create a system that works for everyone.
Why new councillors must stick their necks out to make a real difference, by Graeme Bell
With local elections looming new councillors may have to pursue unpopular policies in order to create positive change, but will they be brave enough to try?
Legal Viewpoint: Wind farm ruling sheds light on assessment of cumulative impacts
Last month, the High Court quashed a development consent order (DCO) for the gargantuan 158-turbine Norfolk Vanguard offshore wind farm in the North Sea. The ruling means that the case requires redetermination and could affect another nationally significant infrastructure project (NSIP) decision due imminently.
Latest CIL Watch
Policy News & Updates
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No set date for introduction of new planning arrangements for revised shared ownership model
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Government to introduce temporary PD right for 'pop-up' structures to help hospitality sector
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Government response to the First Homes proposals in “Changes to the current planning system”
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RTPI, RIBA and RICS urge PM to ‘urgently reconsider’ new town centre permitted development right
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12 things you need to know about the government's latest permitted development changes