I’m looking to develop land for affordable housing. What do I need to take into account in the planning process to make it attractive to a registered provider of affordable housing?
Mash Halai (left) and Gareth Turner respond:
With the interim publication of Boris Johnson’s London Housing Design Guide last month, the …

I’m looking to develop land for affordable housing – what do I need to take into account in the planning process to make it attractive to a registered provider of affordable housing?
Mash Halai (left) and Gareth Turner respond:
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In …

Today, communities secretary Eric Pickles has officially scrapped the regional tier of planning, including housing targets.
This raises more questions among many planners than it answers. Below is the government’s latest guidance for planners in local authorities, released today.
1. Under what powers are Regional Strategies being revoked?
Regional Strategies have been revoked …

The government plans to ease the planning system in growth areas through promoting the use of Local Development Orders by local authorities.
As part of the Emergency Budget, which was published today, the Treasury has announced plans to publish a white paper later this summer that will encourage a “simplified planning consents …

Lichfield District Council is in an historic, rural location with big public demand for visible planning decisions. There is also a high volume of applications for the area’s size.
To manage the planning department’s workload and communicate with local stakeholders, a user-friendly website supplying helpful information is vital. Here’s how they …

Regional planning is on its way out.  The Third Heathrow Runway is dead before take-off.  And now, coming soon to a community hall near you…
A week on from the start of the new Government, a direction is being established, first by David Cameron and then by Nick Clegg. Setting aside …

Anthony Coumidis, sustainability and energy director at property and construction consultancy McBains Cooper says local authorities should interpret their “10% renewables” planning rules differently to drive down the cost of green energy:
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Current planning permission regulations say new builds must generate at least 10% of their energy needs from on-site renewable …

What it is: The BPF have launched an initiative to encourage planners to think more carefully about the infrastructure surrounding new developments, such as schools, health facilities, and parks. This guide aims to show planners how to take account of infrastructure when processing an application.
When it came out: 27 April …

Simon Pugh-Jones, director, planning consultancy Barton Willmore explains how to implement the new Planning Policy Statement 5 on protecting the historic environment

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Heritage reforms are like buses. You wait and wait, then three new documents turn up at once.
They are, firstly, the government’s Statement on the Historic Environment for England. Second, …

At the turn of this century, much of the retail and office accommodation behind Regent Street’s Grade II listed grand façades was low quality, and the local spaces were often dirty and unwelcoming. That was the verdict of owners the Crown Estate, at least.
They said the interiors did little to …