By Michael Hardware, Director of Planning and Property Rt Hon Chris Pincher MP, Minister of State for Housing spoke later last month at the Building Garden Communities Conference organised by the Essex and Kent developers groups in conjunction with the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP  Chris Pincher started by saying that …

By Michael Hardware, Director of Planning and Property The prospect of radical local government reforms emerged in the late summer last year resulting in a frenzy of activity around the country. A manifesto pledge in the 2019 General Election, this will involve dissolving counties, districts and boroughs into unitary and combined authorities with elected …

By Michael Hardware, Director of Planning and Property Chelgate Local is working with partners to help create a developers group for Hertfordshire. Discussions are ongoing with the Hertfordshire Growth Board and founding members about creating the group, its structure, governance and programme. Developers groups have emerged in a number of counties recently to provide useful …

By Ruby Burdett, Consultant  In his budget in spring last year, the chancellor, Rishi Sunak announced the Government’s growth plans for the area connecting Oxford and Cambridge. Almost a year later, after near radio silence on the matter, the Government has revisited the subject and has announced their ambitious plans.  MHCLG’s recently issued spatial framework could potentially see out the …

By Kasia Banaś, Account Director   Sevenoaks Council is not giving up on its  Local Plan. Following a firm rejection of a judicial review of the Planning Inspectorate’s decision on the local plan by the High Court, the authority has now lodged an application to appeal against the ruling.  The Planning Inspector, Karen Baker, published her damning final examination report back …

By Michael Hardware, Director of Planning and Property The past year has been one many will understandably want to forget, but it will be remembered for a long time. Chelgate sent its staff to work from home on 10th March which, at the time, seemed a little drastic. The firm worked throughout the lock down although much of the industry did not.   Not content with just …

By Ruby Burdett, Consultant  St Albans Council has withdrawn its Local Plan for a second time. Unlike previously (2017), it decided not to judicially review the inspectors’ findings, and did not wait for the outcome of the Sevenoaks High Court challenge. The council still has the second-oldest Local Plan in the country (1994) and it now needs to start again – it will need to motor if it is to meet …

By Michael Hardware, Director of Planning and Property Essex County Council (ECC) ran its first developer engagement event in November. This initiative has been instigated by Michael Hardware, in his role as ECC deputy cabinet member for economic development.  The concept is based on Chelgate Local’s successful live planning events which we ran during lockdown. The aim is to provide developers and their consultants with access to the senior …