It would have come as no surprise to anyone that the Conservative Party’s 2019 election manifesto focused on “getting Brexit done”. But, even if housing wasn’t the top of the party’s list of priorities, there were at least a handful of pledges. It’s far from clear, though, that they will …

By Kasia Banas, Consultant Chelgate Local’s latest breakfast briefing took place last month in Oxford Town Hall where our guests discussed how potential growth in Oxford and Oxfordshire will be unlocked and managed in the coming years. Our co-hosts Lichfields, the Leader of Oxfordshire County Council and Chief Executive of the …

By Kasia Banas, Consultant Chelgate Local and Bidwells teamed up to deliver a timely debate on delivery of housing and infrastructure in the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor. Last month, over 40 delegates gathered in Milton Keynes to hear from politicians and planning consultants from across the arc. With one million new homes …

By Kasia Banas, Consultant While mostly overshadowed by the Brexit debates and votes, this year’s Spring Statement included a number of important housing announcements. The new package is part of government’s wider strategy to deliver 300,000 a year by the mid-2020s and includes new infrastructure funding, reforms of parts of …

By Daniel Fryd, Senior Consultant The results of the first MHCLG Housing Delivery Test – long touted as the mechanism that would hold councils to account for their failure to build new homes – were finally revealed in February. Over 100 councils will have to take action following the results …

By Kasia Banas, Consultant The time taken to determine planning appeals could be cut by almost half, a Government-commissioned review has found. In the report published on 12 February 2019, Bridget Rosewell CBE concluded that the average duration of the process could be “slashed” from 47 weeks to around 26 …

By Kasia Banas, Consultant January saw Chelgate Local kick off 2019 with another successful breakfast briefing event. The Chelgate team partnered up with Barton Willmore to host a timely discussion on the impact of an ageing population on housing provision. Delegates from across Kent gathered to hear from speakers from …

By Kasia Banas, Consultant Britain is seeing unprecedented jobs and employment growth despite an ageing population and increased health problems, a new report has shown. Resolution Foundation started the year with launch of ‘Setting the record straight’ – its latest report exploring how record employment levels have changed the country …