Following the recent New Towns Taskforce visit to Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, we consider how viable these new developments will be… New Towns Taskforce The chair of the new New Towns Taskforce, which held its first meeting in Milton Keynes, has identified that the area nearby has ‘considerable potential’ as the site of a New…
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Committed to getting Britain building again, the UK Government targets brownfield sites to access growth opportunities… The government is focusing on urban sites with a proposed ‘Brownfield Passport’, in a bid to speed up development on previously developed urban land. This could mean revitalising derelict or underused sites, advancing overlooked small plots, and optimising existing…
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If you’ve never encountered the phrase Grey Belt before, we attempt to explain it – along with other definitions of land designation such as Green Belt, Greenfield and Brownfield… The Newly Assigned Grey Belt If you read last month’s blog, you might be wondering where the term ‘Grey Belt’ came from. If you’ve not encountered…
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Local authorities will be expected to plan for 370,000 homes a year under new proposals from Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Angela Rayner… The new Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has announced a number of planning system reforms, among them a recalculation of the required number of…
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Proving viability when submitting a planning application can be key to getting to that all-important approval. Our latest blog explores the benefits of marketing and viability assessments within the context of planning applications… Marketing and carrying out a viability exercise are important parts of the preparation when submitting a planning application – especially when one…
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Seeking pre-application advice is common in planning, but a claim by a campaigner has shown that developers should not assume correspondence will be kept private… It’s not unusual – in fact it is par for the course – that developers seek informal advice from the local planning authority before submitting planning applications. This can save…
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A change in the length of time, from 4 to 10 years, that it takes for unauthorised developments to become lawful, could see an increase in enforcement action… New Rules could Catch-Out Unlawful Developments Historically, operational development (for example building an extension, or building a house and occupying it without planning permission) could take place…
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A report 10 years ago stated that including green spaces in planning proposals could have a positive impact on public health…so what changes have been made? RIBA City Health Check No one has told the weather yet, but spring has officially arrived, and as the days get longer, and the sun – hopefully – comes…
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The government plans to further ease restriction of planning for office-to residential conversions and brownfield development… Deregulation of Permitted Development Changes to the national planning policy have been brought into effect by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove, which will see more deregulation of the permitted development rules for…
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As rules requiring provisions on major developments for environmental enhancement come into place (with requirements for minor developments due to come into force in April 2024), industry experts have expressed doubts over how achievable they really are… Biodiversity Net Gain Concerns Rules that require major housing developments to deliver at least 10% biodiversity net gain…
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