All planning articles
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News
Labour to unveil golden rules for building on ‘grey belt’
The policy has the potential to unlock land to build hundreds of thousands of new homes, says Knight Frank
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Comment
The Office for Place can help embed quality design in our neighbourhoods
Now that design codes have been made a mandatory part of local plans, Ben Derbyshire considers what a good code actually looks like – and how it might work best in practice
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News
Planning reform ‘at the very centre’ of Labour economic vision, says Reeves
Infrastructure investment and planning reform two of ‘three pillars’ of party’s economic strategy
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Comment
Meeting the design code challenge
Design codes are now required to be embedded in local plans. Ben Derbyshire explains what local authorities and the housing sector need to consider.
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Comment
Housebuilders must beware the looming land shortage
The worsening availability of developable land could soon mean housebuilders having to choose between being more aggressive in the land market or shrinking their business, warns Paul Smith
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News
Only one in six councils are using rural exception sites to boost social housing supply
Rural exception sites allow land for housing developments to be provided at below market value
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News
Gove unveils proposed planning guidance changes in bid to boost brownfield development
Housing secretary wants planning authorities to take a less “bureaucratic” approach to urban development
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News
Build-to-rent planning approvals are taking at least a year to be granted, research finds
According to research by the BPF and Savills, the time required for BTR planning applications to be approved has shot up over the last decade
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News
Plans greenlit for 550 new homes and 700 student beds in Birmingham
More than 700 student rooms will also be built on the proposed scheme near to the listed Myona Building
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Comment
Revised planning framework shows Gove has not completely caved in to the NIMBYs
Ministers seem to have taken the view that there are votes in delivery, but can the proposals be delivered as intended, asks Peter Canavan
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News
Housing secretary intervenes to prevent Surrey council from withdrawing local plan
Rowley said withdrawal of the local plan would result in the council having one of the oldest adopted local plans in the country
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News
Planning delays biggest barrier to growth, say SME housebuilders
Planning delays have been cited by small housebuilders as the biggest barrier to growth they face. A survey of hundreds of smaller builders, published today by the Home Builders Federation, Travis Perkins and Close Brothers Property Finance, shows 93% of SMEs believe delays to securing planning permission is a “major ...
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News
Five-yearly Local Plan review requirement ‘not operating effectively’, says Lichfields
Only 7% of local authorities studied updated their local plan following statutory review
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News
Berkeley gets approval for 27-storey north London tower
Latest phase of Hornsey Gasworks regeneration will deliver 377 homes and a new public square
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Comment
Gove’s plan to speed up planning decisions could have unintended consequences
Rather than procedural change to drive the illusion of improvement, we should completely re-assess what planners need to be doing, argues Paul Smith
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Comment
A flurry of policy announcements and a general election: why housing is set for a busy 2024
Barratt boss David Thomas explains what he wants to see from the shifting policy landscape over the next 12 months
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Comment
Is the housing crisis just too big a problem for politics to crack?
The recently published National Planning Policy Framework highlights how difficult housing reform can be. Can we expect better from the outcome of a general election, asks Simon Rawlinson
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Comment
‘Street votes’ can play a big role in urban intensification
The government’s street votes plan can help more people access the benefits of co-design, while achieving better quality and net zero outcomes, writes Ben Derbyshire
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Comment
The revised planning framework is not as bad as feared - but don’t thank Gove
The new national planning policy document will still lead to fewer homes being built, even if some of the most egregious proposals around density and green belt have been watered down, says Joey Gardiner
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In Focus
Will the government’s biodiversity plans prove a net gain for the housebuilding sector?
From this month, all developments will have to show how they increase biodiversity by 10% in order to receive planning permission. Joey Gardiner looks at whether the policy is a win-win or too much too soon