Consultation is inherently flawed: all have the same failing – by relying on residents to respond there is usually low participation, and those that do respond often have an axe to grind. The result is a skewed representation of community …

Parliament returned early, on 2 September, so that the new government could get on with legislation. It rose again on 12 September for the party conferences, to return on 7 October. There has been hardly a day gone by during …

MHCLG has announced the new ministerial team tasked with ‘getting Britain building again’ and delivering on government’s ambition to see 1.5 million homes built over the next five years. The freshly renamed department is key to delivering the government’s mission …

Senior Consultant Dan is currently a Senior Lecturer in Planning and course leader for the Property Development and Planning course at Oxford Brookes University, and a former councillor in Oxfordshire. As a councillor he has 25 years of experience in …

Senior Consultant Chris was a Liberal Democrat county and district councillor for over 30 years, most recently leader of St Albans District Council and chair of its Planning Policy & Climate Committee. He has considerable experience in local plan making …

Consultant Patrick is a communications and marketing consultant with more than 20 years of property industry experience and a track record of delivering strategic campaigns that influence key stakeholders and deliver commercial results. He brings a wealth of experience to …

Welcome to our New Year 2024 issue of Planning ahead.  We enter 2024 with some trepidation: the economy is in the doldrums, we have the NPPF reforms and the prospect of a General Election, probably in the autumn. There is too much …

The secretary of state, Michael Gove MP, has said he wants to see local communities involved more in planning policy and planning application decisions. This brought a sharp intake of breath from developers and councillors alike as most communities appear …