Michael Hardware, our director of planning and property, will be speaking at the Westminster Social Policy Forum keynote seminar on housing supply and development in England on Friday 26th May 2023.  He will be joining Steve Cole, director of Make UK Modular, and Tom Chance, chief executive of Community Land …

When it comes to campaigning in local elections, a classic technique used by all political parties – who are expecting heavy losses – is to inflate the number they expect to lose, so that when they don’t lose that many, it allows them to have a positive spin. Now, when …

The climate emergency was around long before the energy crisis brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine happened. Solar and wind have seen a resurgence in the past decade, and have increasingly provided a greater proportion of our energy, helping us move towards our net zero targets.  Last year, wind …

By Michael Hardware Director of Planning & Property Despite the claims of environmental groups that developers are ‘raping and pillaging’ the land, concreting over our green fields and desecrating our landscape, the amount of land designated as green belt in England actually rose last year. According to latest government statistics …

The number of planning applications in England has fallen by 12 per cent, when compared with the same period in 2021. A total of 87,800 applications were granted between April and June 2022. Figures from DLUHC show that 8,700 residential and 1,800 commercial applications were granted, with falls of nine …

The new ministerial team at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and communities (DLUHC) is led by new Secretary of State, The Rt Hon Simon Clarke MP. The Minister for Local Government and Building Safety is Paul Scully MP, the Minister for Housing is Lee Rowley MP, the Minister for …

Basildon Council agreed last month the new LDS for its local plan, having withdrawn its previous one back in April. It has the new local plan adoption in 2027! This is the latest in a long line of councils dragging their feet – Uttlesford, St Albans, Castle Point, Hertsmere to …

As always, the annual party conference was a hectic affair, but this year had the added spice of yet another new Government and Prime Minister, but all did not go to plan! The ‘fiscal event’ the week before set the scene for the conference. The cutting of the higher tax …