Housing Provision for the Elderly

Elderly couple

Care needs to be taken to ensure there are residences for older residents – and it is a particular issue for retiring farmers… We have heard that the Communities and Local Government Committee (CLGC) has called for a review of the provision of housing for older people. Over past years, the number of bungalows being…

Read More

Awaiting the National Planning Policy Framework

NPPF

The planning industry is waiting for the draft of the National Planning Policy Framework to appear before Easter… Those of us in the planning and development industry are waiting with bated breath for the Government to publish the draft revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which is expected before Easter (according to a letter from…

Read More

A successful year for Apex Planning Consultants

Town Planning Consultants

Getting the right result for our clients is always very satisfying – and this year we have had some particularly pleasing outcomes for both domestic and commercial customers.Our work below includes examples for Change of Use, Residential Development, Listed Buildings, Planning Appraisal and Planning Appeals, for both domestic, commercial and industrial clients. Read on to…

Read More

Planning Industry Developments

Image courtesy of Pexels

There are a number of developments in the pipeline that will impact the planning industry from last month’s budget… Following on from our blog in November and the recent budget announcement, there are more impending changes that will affect the industry: Planning application fees One of the other notable changes that appears close to fruition is…

Read More

Budget looms large over planning issues

Home plan

Planning hits the headlines at this crucial time… With the Budget looming, the world of planning has again hit the headlines for several reasons. Of course, there is the usual abuse directed toward the delivery of housing – it’s the fault of the greedy developers / incompetent local planning authorities (*delete as applicable!) – which…

Read More

Changes to planning policies could speed up housing delivery

Image courtesy of Pexels

Two recent Government announcements could help developers get homes built with fewer delays… There have been a couple of major developments in the planning world recently. Statement of Common Ground The first is the requirement for councils to produce a Statement of Common Ground with neighbouring authorities. This initiative is one of several consultation proposals…

Read More

Housing crisis – is it the developers fault?

Layout Plan

Are greedy developers at fault for the lack of land for housing, or are there other factors contributing to the UK’s housing crisis? An article in The Guardian earlier this year claims that the housing crisis is being worsened by greedy developers, who are hoarding land in a bid to sell it on at a…

Read More

How technology is changing the face of house design

Architectural plans

Holographic, virtual designs are set to change the way architects and developers work and interact with planning authorities and potential buyers… The advance of technology is changing the way we live and work on an almost-daily basis – just look at how smartphones have become such a staple of everyday life. And the architectural industry…

Read More

Post Election Update

Image courtesy of artur84 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

After the dust has settled… the planning and construction industries after the election: Some things have certainly changed since the snap General Election on June 8. One of the major factors for the planning industry was the fact that Housing and Planning Minister Gavin Barwell lost his seat, as we predicted. In his place is…

Read More

What will the General Election mean for planning?

Image courtesy of supakitmod at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We take a look at the planning-related policies in each party’s manifesto… The prelude to the General Election has been notable for its relative silence on the matter of planning and housing development. It is possible that this was, in part, due to the protracted and extensive discussions that happened before Parliament was dissolved, which…

Read More