By Michael Hardware, Director of Planning and Property We have all at some point come out of a planning committee wondering what had just happened. A perfectly reasonable policy-compliant planning application had been unexpectedly refused for vague and perhaps spurious reasons, …

By Kasia Banas, Consultant In his first appearance in front of the Communities and Local Government (CLG) Committee on 5th September, Housing Minister Kit Malthouse MP made it clear he is not planning to introduce a new mechanism for capturing …

Michael Hardware has been appointed to head Chelgate’s planning public affairs division, Chelgate Local. With a career spanning over 30 years, 24 of them at Chelgate, Michael has a wealth of experience in property and construction. Over those years he …

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 …