Inspectors have written to at least two authorities in Essex with unadopted local plans asking them to review their housing need numbers. This follows publication of the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) 2018 household projections. The figures, published on 29th June, predict the number of households in England to …

This month we bring you news on the St Albans Local Plan, new government-appointed chief planner, projections on the housing and rental markets, COVID-19 and long-term strategic planning and much more… Housing and rental market demand surges in UK Following the Government’s announcement last month to reopen estate agents, data …

By Alia Khan, Consultant  The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has appointed Joanna Averley as its new chief planner. She is the first female chief planner and assumes her post from September. Averley joins Whitehall from the Commission of Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), where she …

By Alia Khan, Consultant  Following the Government’s announcement last month to reopen estate agents, data sets emerging from the industry show a significant release of pent-up demand in both the housing and rental market in the UK. Although this was to be expected, the level of interest is a surprise. The …

By Michael Hardware, Director of Planning and Property The joint Chiltern and South Bucks local plan has joined the growing list of failing local plans in the south east. It joins Uttlesford, St Albans and the joint north Essex local plan (Braintree, Colchester and Tendring) which have all been condemned …

The guest of Chelgate Local’s sixth Live Planning Event was Deputy Leader of Guildford, Cllr Jan Harwood, who presented an optimistic outlook on council’s future as it progresses its local plan and climate change priorities. Cllr Harwood credits Guildford council’s current ‘remarkably good’ performance with the programme of restructuring that …

  This month we bring you projections on housing delivery and house prices in 2020. We also recap our Live Planning Event with Cllr Chris White from St Albans DC and provide an update from Maidstone Borough Council. Is the UK Housing Delivery Doomed in 2020? A recent analysis conducted …

  by Alia Khan, Consultant The impact of the lockdown measures taken by Government to contain the spread of the coronavirus started to filter through to the housing market in April, ‘with average prices falling by 0.6% compared to March’, says Russell Galley, Managing Director at Halifax. He does, however, maintain confidence in the health …