The government has today published its draft Localism Bill that will bring forward huge changes to the UK planning system.
Communities secretary Eric Pickles said the new bill – which will be laid before Parliament later this afternoon – would return powers to local councils and communities. It includes measures to …

Housing minister Grant Shapps has today pledged nearly £1bn of funding for councils that give planning permission for new housing development.
In the proposals for the New Homes Bonus, which are now open for public consultation, the government will match the council tax raised from new homes for the first six …

Vandalism to the Conservative Party’s headquarters on Millbank following yesterday’s student protest is set to cost tens of thousands of pounds to fix.
Yesterday, around 50,000 students protested against the government’s plan to charge students up to £9,000 per year for tuition fees from 2012, three times the current annual £3,290 …

Communities secretary Eric Pickles acted unlawfully in unilaterally revoking the system of regional planning strategies in England, the High Court has found today.
The court has given its judgment in the judicial review brought by housebuilder Cala Homes against the revocation of regional planning. It found that the secretary of state …

The “Whitehall of the North” scheme planned in Manchester is under review following spending cuts set out in the government’s Comprehensive Spending Review last month.
Under the scheme, around 5,000 civil servants were expected to relocate from London to the site of the derelict station Mayfield, near Manchester Piccadilly station. However, …

The government’s regional growth fund will fail to support regeneration given the scale of public spending cuts, the chief executive of Centre for Cities has said.
Alexandra Jones, head of policy research group Centre for Cities, said at today’s Public Property Summit in London that the £1.4bn regional growth fund was …

Local authorities need to be realistic about what their region can support if they want to attract retail development, a conference in London has heard.
Speakers in a session on retail at the Public Property Summit, run by PublicPropertyUK.com and Property Week, said that there was a gap between what the …

What it is: CB Richard Ellis has published a guide for public sector bodies on how to outsource their property services successfully.
When it came out: 1 November 2010
Why it is important: The government is considering setting targets for outsourcing of public sector services, while public sector bodies are looking to …

Helical Bar chief executive Mike Slade has criticised the government’s five-year moratorium on signing new leases and renewing existing deals.
Slade was talking at the Public Property Summit in London this morning. He said the government’s flagship plan for public sector property leases was too dramatic. Private sector companies face being …

The government wants to see more public bodies working closely together and this will lead to more opportunities for the private sector, a Treasury minister said today.
Justine Greening, economic secretary at the Treasury, was making a speech at the Public Property Summit this morning. She said the government supported plans …