The climate emergency was around long before the energy crisis brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine happened. Solar and wind have seen a resurgence in the past decade, and have increasingly provided a greater proportion of our energy, helping …

On Monday 24 April, the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee held its second oral hearing on reforms to the national planning policy. The witnesses this time around were Housing Minister Rachel Maclean and Director General of the Department for …

The Conservative party took a thumping in last week’s local elections losing over 1,000 councillors and control of 48 councils. For the first time since 2002, Labour is the largest party of local government with 2,674 councillors, as opposed to …

Welcome to our April issue of Planning Ahead. We trust you had an enjoyable Easter break. This is our pre-election edition. This year, for the first time, we have uploaded a list of all the councils up for election in …

Our Michael Hardware, director of planning and property, will be speaking at two conferences in his councillor role as cabinet member for regeneration and strategic growth at Harlow District Council. The first is Housing supply and development in England being …

As well as the recent Select Committee hearing, there have been other housing updates. First, social housing is gaining more traction in Westminster and the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Committees (DLUHC) has responded to this. Secondly, DLUHC has indicated …

The Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee had its first oral evidence hearing into the Government’s planning reforms on 16 March. A recent consultation took place that sought to tighten the regulations surrounding greenbelt land, re-evaluate the housing number …

We are now entering the ‘purdah’ stage of the upcoming election; a time when pre-election communication rules come into place to prevent local authorities from publishing information which could influence voters. After a turbulent summer and autumn last year, many …