By Michael Hardware, Director of Planning and Property This article was published in Housebuilder magazine on September 7, 2018. You can view it here (registration required). The role of county councils in planning appears to be changing. Hertfordshire County Council last …

By Mike Hardware, Associate Director The popularity of mobile homes has grown significantly in recent years. No longer the preserve of the over-55s or retiring couples, rising house prices and decreasing affordability have led to these homes becoming more mainstream …

Councils planning new garden towns and villages are set to receive a boost under fresh regulations, but the devil is in the detail. Housing Minister Dominic Raab MP has proposed shifting responsibility for New Town Development Corporations (NTDCs) from the …

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 …

In an article published by Housebuilder seven years ago, ahead of the 2010 general election, Michael Hardware, executive vice-president of Chelgate, foresaw the demise of regional planning under a Conservative government. In this article, seven years later, he suggests that planning …

Last week our deputy chairman, Nick Wood-Dow, chaired a Westminster Briefing on developing brownfield sites. The Government has recognised the need to encourage building. House prices are rocketing skywards and there is not nearly enough housing supply of the right …

With twin ambitions to build more homes while protecting the Green Belt, the Government is keen to see more development on brownfield land. The Housing & Planning Bill, currently going through Parliament, will create the legislative framework to make this …

Director of Planning and Property Michael has almost 40 years’ experience of planning public affairs working on a wide range of projects across the UK including residential, retail, commercial and energy, as well as public open spaces and even a …