Posts by SteveApex
What does Brexit mean for Planning?
The past few weeks have seen massive political turmoil for the UK, as the referendum saw the electorate vote for us to leave the EU, and the two main parties have undergone major staffing changes. Thankfully we do now have a new PM on board to steer the ship! There are no end of experts…
Read MoreStarter Homes and Affordable Housing
Further to our blog last month, another hot topic in the debate that led to the recent Housing and Planning Act 2016 was starter homes, ie, houses that are to be sold at prices at least 20% below market value and aimed at first-time buyers under the age of 40. To be honest, we’re not…
Read MorePlaying ball with the Housing and Planning Bill
A game of ping pong has been played with the Housing and Planning Bill between the House of Commons and the House of Lords in recent weeks, as the bill has gone back and forth being amended. This, of course, has caused a lot of anxiety as all this to-and and fro-ing has seriously delayed…
Read MoreJumping for Joy in Peterborough
Apex Planning Consultants was really pleased to help the UK’s first indoor trampoline park gain planning permission in Milton Keynes – and Bounce (MK) is now a very successful leisure business, situated opposite the Stadium:MK development. So we were delighted when the same client asked us to help them prepare a planning application for a…
Read MorePersistence Pays Off in the World of Planning
Often when clients come to us they have spent a long time – sometimes years – trying to get planning permission. Once Apex Planning Consultants get involved, we can draw on our many years of experience in the planning world to achieve what has previously seemed achievable. Take, for instance, a client of ours who…
Read MoreHigh Court Decision and Rural Areas
What does the recent High Court decision mean for rural areas? The recent High Court decision (Dartford Borough Council v Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government) has held that the definition of ‘previously developed land’ (also known as brownfield land) within Annex 2 of the Government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) excludes residential…
Read MoreA Great Start To The New Year
2016 certainly appears to have got off to a good start – with the announcement from David Cameron that the Government has promised to directly commission the building of homes on publicly owned land. This, he said, would lead to quality homes – many of which would involve smaller building companies – being built at…
Read MoreDevelopment of Affordable Homes in London
Islington Borough Council has been buoyed by Government comments after it raised the issue of land prices for land where new homes are to be developed. The problem is that because of London’s spiralling land prices, developers claim that they cannot put the required amount of affordable homes into a development, because their initial costs…
Read MoreA Matter of Principle – the truth behind the New Planning and Housing Bill
A recent article in The Telegraph claims that rural campaigners fear that inappropriate developments will be forced upon communities thanks to the new Planning and Housing Bill. It states that automatic planning permission (‘planning in principle’) will be given to tens of thousands of new homes in Greenfield areas, and suggests that ministers have allowed…
Read MoreHousing and Planning Bill – an Update
During October, the government made a number of announcements alongside the new Housing and Planning Bill – all aiming to achieve the government’s ambition of creating one million homes by 2020. Some of the measures being put in place to achieve this goal will create very interesting opportunities for developers! From temporary to permanent The…
Read More