By Michael Hardware, Director of Planning and Property Everyone complains about the planning system: developers and planners complain because it is too long, complicated and has uncertainty; residents complain because their voices are never heard or taken into account; councillors …

By Michael Hardware, Director of Planning and Property  The future of the car has been debated ad infinitum in recent years but the pandemic has perhaps added a new dimension. As new homes and communities being designed now will have to serve its …

By Michael Hardware, Director of Planning and Property Is the Brentwood Borough Council (BBC) local plan going to go down the same path as others where there is a reliance on garden communities for a large proportion of housing numbers? …

By Kasia Banaś, Account Director  It is clear by now that the COVID-19 pandemic will have long-lasting effects on how we live, work and travel. What we don’t know yet, and probably won’t know for some time, is what exactly …

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 …

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 …

  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 …

  by Michael Hardware, Director of Planning and Property  The restrictions imposed on us all to counter the coronavirus have been severe and unsettling. Many have been forced to work from home, some for the very first time. The experience for most …