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 and Property  The future of the car has been debated ad infinitum in recent years but the pandemic has perhaps added a new dimension. As new homes and communities being designed now will have to serve its residents for decades to come, should we be looking again …

By Michael Hardware, Director of Planning and Property Using excerpts from ‘Later Living: Are we planning for our future?’ published by Barton Willmore, we take a look at the changing profile of the later living population and what challenges and opportunities this poses for the market.  Barton Willmore’s full report …

By Michael Hardware, Director of Planning and Property We have all at some point come out of a planning committee wondering what had just happened. A perfectly reasonable policy-compliant planning application had been unexpectedly refused for vague and perhaps spurious reasons, or on an issue which you were not aware of. …

By Michael Hardware, Director of Planning and Property This article was published in Housebuilder magazine on September 7, 2018. You can view it here (registration required). The role of county councils in planning appears to be changing. Hertfordshire County Council last year called for more planning powers to be able to …

By Mike Hardware, Associate Director The popularity of mobile homes has grown significantly in recent years. No longer the preserve of the over-55s or retiring couples, rising house prices and decreasing affordability have led to these homes becoming more mainstream with over 3,000 sites across the UK. But the peace …