Sir Oliver Letwin, who was charged with the task of explaining the “significant gap” between housing completions and the amount of land allocated in areas of high demand, has released his eagerly awaited interim report. As in his letter in …

A new report has revealed the true scale of England’s housing crisis saying we need to be building 340,000 new homes a year (including 90,000 for social rent) up to 2031. The National Housing Federation and Crisis report said there …

By Vivienne Shirley, Senior Consultant A new interim report commissioned by the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) has concluded that Britain’s current planning system is ‘not fit for purpose’ and should be overhauled. The review by Nick Raynsford, president …

  Former Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire MP has today been confirmed as the new Communities Secretary. The Old Bexley and Sidcup MP replaces Sajid David, who has moved to replace Amber Rudd as Home Secretary. Brokenshire resigned from his …

Chelgate Local makes new senior hire Chelgate Local has hired David Mills from Sainsbury’s to lead its property communications and stakeholder engagement division. With a team of specialists in community, political and stakeholder engagement, Chelgate Local is one of the leading agencies …

  New timescales for NPPF revealed Secretary of State, Sajid Javid, is working towards an ‘Easter’ date for publication of the new draft NPPF, it was revealed last week. The long-awaited changes to the country’s ‘planning bible’ will include the …

Already it’s not shaping up to be a good year for UKIP. In yet another blow to the beleaguered party, all 17 of the UKIP councillors in Thurrock, Essex, have now resigned from their membership. Saying they have “had enough …

By Michael Hardware, Associate Director, Chelgate Local – Essex Garden Villages This article was published as an opinion piece in PlacemakingResource on 22nd January. You can view it here (subscription needed). Essex may soon overtake Kent as the ‘Garden of England’, …