The Conservative Party conference took place in Manchester in October. Housing and planning policy, in the words of housing minister Rachel Maclean, was approached as a “critical” issue, with discussions and speeches stretching from the use of greenfield by the authority of government over local authority plans. Brownfield Land Maclean …

Economy The October annual inflation rate was 6.7%, which was no change since September. It was expected to fall but held higher by increasing fuel prices. It is expected to fall in November and the Government is on track to meet its target of halving the rate to 5.3% by …

The Labour Party Conference in Liverpool was heavy on housing and redevelopment with pledges of new homes and affordable costs repeated from speech to speech. “We are the builders,” was Leader Sir Keir Starmer’s declaration as he pledged 1.5 million new homes in five years if Labour were to be …

Chief Operating Officer Mathew Lane has been with Chelgate for 18 years, and has played a key role in Chelgate’s continued growth and success. Before joining Chelgate, Mathew spent 15 years working in banking where he specialised in corporate finance for media companies, particularly those involved in film and television …

Welcome to our June issue of Planning ahead. In this issue we have articles on the Labour Party’s housing and NPPF policy; people’s perception of building on green belt and the shift in views; and a summary of the Westminster Social Policy Forum keynote conference on housing supply and development . We also have …

Having chaired the first-morning session, Michael Hardware went on to present in the second session, introducing the Harlow & Gilston Garden Town, the unsung hero of the east of England. Michael is the cabinet member for economic development at Harlow District Council and sits on the board of the Harlow …

Michael Hardware, Chelgate Local’s director of planning and property, chaired the first session of the Westminster Social Policy Forum online conference on housing supply and development on Friday, 26 May. In his opening remarks, he highlighted the pent-up demand that exists in the housing market, with well over a million …

  A recent Times article titled “Voters are Ready to Hear the Case for Building Homes on the Green Belt” has explored the changing dynamics and public sentiment surrounding the contentious issue of building homes on the green belt. Penning the article, Ben Cooper – lead researcher at the Fabian …