In this issue of Planning Ahead we have five articles. We review the Conservative Party Conference, look at yet another local plan being delayed and provide insights into the new DLUHC ministerial team. We also have two interesting snippets from the Government on planning consents and the size of the green …

This month we have four articles looking at this week’s local elections, levelling up, planning gain reform and the current shape of the local plan system. We also have our local plan updates and an invitation to a seminar on Housing Policy and Older People. Please do feel free to get …

By Michael Hardware, Director of Planning and Property It is that time of year again: tomorrow sees a plethora of district, borough, city and parish elections, together with all the London Boroughs and some other mayoral elections. The national polls are important in predicting outcomes as many voters do not distinguish between …

By Michael Hardware, Director of Planning and Property The Levelling Up white paper was published in February. It was not quite what everyone was expecting, and only partially explained what levelling up was and will be. The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill is likely to be in the Queen’s speech on 10 …

The article was published in Placemaking Resource. Local plans and housing policies are failing to provide homes for older people and the most vulnerable, writes Michael Hardware. No one would argue with the fact that there is a housing crisis in the UK, caused by decades of not building enough …

This is our first newsletter of 2022 and we have four thought-provoking articles looking at current government policies. Although the NHS reforms are in the process of being implemented, local government reforms are still being formulated or yet to be reviewed. Housing numbers and housing policies are like the planning …

By Kasia Banaś, Account Director  Conservative gains  Last week’s local elections were hailed as a big success for the Conservatives who took control of a dozen councils and gained more than 200 new Tory councillors. Local elections and by-elections are traditionally a trying period for a governing party and an opportunity for voters to show their frustrations with …

By Michael Hardware, Director of Planning and Property The Conservatives had a good night generally in the south east last Thursday, although tempered somewhat by growing support for the LibDems, the Greens and for resident candidates, all perhaps an indication of future trends. Labour had an excellent night in London.  Labour did very well in London with both the re-election of Sadiq Khan, …