Welcome to our New Year 2024 issue of Planning ahead.  We enter 2024 with some trepidation: the economy is in the doldrums, we have the NPPF reforms and the prospect of a General Election, probably in the autumn. There is too much uncertainty which no one likes. At Chelgate Local, we finished …

The secretary of state, Michael Gove MP, has said he wants to see local communities involved more in planning policy and planning application decisions. This brought a sharp intake of breath from developers and councillors alike as most communities appear opposed to anything to do with development. This is because …

Good and bad news for the economy: a further drop in inflation and interest rates held again are the good, but amendments to growth figures showing that the economy is perilously close to recession is the bad. The outlook is that any recession is likely to be shallow and short-lived, …

We are not going to go into huge detail about the NPPF changes as this is the role of planning consultants, but we have picked out some key areas. Michael Gove MP made his speech about the NPPF consultation response on the day Parliament rose for the Christmas break (19 December), …

Park Homes are becoming increasingly popular. According to the House of Commons Library there are 85,000 park homes on 2,000 licensed sites across the country. Despite their popularity, almost no councils make provision for park homes in their local plans. This despite them being an acceptable form of development in …

Senior Consultant Ranked among the top three Media Influencers in Sustainability worldwide, Jim McClelland is a writer, editor and speaker, with a strong following on social channels and platforms. His background is in magazine publishing, where in the late 1990s he founded the very first magazine in the UK dedicated …

Senior Consultant A senior Cabinet Member in one of the UK’s largest local authorities, Andrew brings more than fifteen years of experience in local government and public engagement. A former member of a planning committee, Andrew has worked on a variety of regeneration and housing projects across the country, working …

Chelgate Local, the leading public affairs specialist for planners and developers, has further strengthened its team with new public relations and stakeholder engagement expertise for clients working in greenbelt, rural, and protected landscapes. Jonathan Ray, a Chelgate senior advisor in issue and reputation management, has joined the firm from National …