Recent Posts
Nicola Gooch
Planning Permission In Principle is on its way: Draft Regulations laid before Parliament
It looks as if at least one of the more radical reforms in the Housing and Planning Act 2016 is due to come into effect in the not too...
10/01/17
Nicola Gooch
Ministers pave the way for the Housing White Paper by pre-announcing its content
As a wise man* once said there appears to be a pattern associated with major government policy announcements. First there is a week or...
06/01/17
Nicola Gooch
DCLG's New Year's Resolution: Build More (Starter) Homes
It is the first working day of 2017 and already we have two announcements from DCLG - both of which are centred on delivering housing....
03/01/17
Nicola Gooch
In the Fourth Week of Advent, DCLG gave to me.... A New Housing Fund & Disagreements with Inspectors
The week before Christmas has been a decidedly busy one, with the announcement of a new £60 million housing fund and the release of no...
23/12/16
Irwin Mitchell
Yes, Counting matters, but interpretation matters more
On Saturday, The Times, quoting from the BDO report trumpeted a 1.7% year on year increase for Retail sales figures for November,...
13/12/16
Nicola Gooch
In the Third Week of Advent, DCLG gave to me... Yet More Neighbourhood Plan Uncertainty
In a move which has made me feel decidedly un-festive, yesterday, in the House of Commons, Gavin Barwell issued a new written ministerial...
13/12/16
Nicola Gooch
In the Second Week of Advent, DCLG gave to me... A National Estate Regeneration Strategy!
Last week the festive fellows at DCLG treated us to a National Estates Regeneration Strategy, intended to 'breathe new life' into...
12/12/16
Nicola Gooch
Durham County Council puts local plan on hold until Housing White Paper is published
The delay in publishing DCLG's Housing White Paper appears to be having a knock on effect for some local planning authorities and their...
07/12/16
Nicola Gooch
In the first week of Advent, DCLG gave to me....
This the first of four posts based on a popular Christmas song, each of which will contain a quick recap of the week's news from DCLG. In...
02/12/16
Nicola Gooch
GLA opens consultation on new affordable housing guidance
The Greater London Authority is currently consulting on new supplementary planning guidance that addresses the tricky issue of securing...
30/11/16
Irwin Mitchell
Enforced Pooling or better manager competition?
It is an inherent contradiction in capitalism that, to be totally successful, it must become monopolistic, and therefore be a total...
24/11/16
Irwin Mitchell
Land Registry Privatisation laid to rest - until next time
Tucked into the Autumn statement today is a footnote that the government has decided not to proceed with Land Registry Privatisation. So...
24/11/16
Nicola Gooch
The Last Autumn Statement.... but no Housing White Paper
Philip Hammond has just delivered the Autumn Statement and wiser heads than mine will be analysing its contents as I type. Although the...
23/11/16
Nicola Gooch
Barwell hints at further development land tax in housing white paper
In a speech at the London Property Summit last week, Housing Minister, Gavin Barwell, indicated that the development industry's...
17/11/16
Nicola Gooch
Redfern Review: Collapse in home ownership due to lack of money - not lack of supply
Jeremy Corbyn's review of the housing market, which is due to be published today, has bucked the trend for blaming a lack of housing...
16/11/16
Nicola Gooch
The cost of poor decision making: research gives insight into planning costs awards against Councils
Most of us who work in the development sector are aware that local authority planning committees can be highly unpredictable - with local...
04/11/16
Nicola Gooch
(Brutalist) Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder
Given the widely publicised events of this week, you could be forgiven for missing the declaration of war that was hidden in a speech by ...
04/11/16
Nicola Gooch
Response to CIL Review to be in DCLG Planning White Paper
After months of waiting, it looks as if we finally have an indication as to when we will get to see the outcome of the CIL Review that...
28/10/16
Irwin Mitchell
Chai-rise living?
Bisnow.com have picked up on research from CBRE considering which commercial premises are most popular in residential areas. This is...
21/10/16
Nicola Gooch
Are PD rights to demolish offices and rebuild as residential finally coming off the back burner?
Waiting on decisions from central government can, on occasion, feel a lot like watching the proverbial pot that never boils. The most...
21/10/16
Nicola Gooch
Is that a newt in your pocket?
For a highly protected species Great Crested Newts have made quite a habit of popping up in inconvenient places. As most in the industry...
14/10/16
Nicola Gooch
When secondary legislation drives you to rant in the media... CIL article in Estates Gazette
Below is a link to an article of mine that was published in Estates Gazette over the weekend. The article is entitled "10 things I hate...
10/10/16
Nicola Gooch
Communities Secretary: Housing is Number One Priority
It appears, from today's coverage in Planning Resource , that Sajid Javid's speech at the conservative party conference was very...
03/10/16
Irwin Mitchell
Details emerge about £5bn new housing funding
Conservative ministers are going to announce at Conference that two new housing finance pots will be launched. The first (£3bn) is...
03/10/16
Nicola Gooch
Weighty Considerations: Local Plan Policies vs the Small Sites Exemption
When the Court of Appeal upheld the 'small sites exemption' last May, many small developers breathed a huge sigh of relief. The policy ...
27/09/16
Nicola Gooch
Staying Out of the Twilight Zone: CIL and Transitional S.73 Applications
Given the number of times that the Community Infrastructure Levy Regulations 2010 have been amended, it is not surprising that there are...
21/09/16
Nicola Gooch
Here come the (planning) consultations....
DCLG is currently consulting on the details of two of the main planks of the new Neighbourhood Planning Bill. Improving the use of...
16/09/16
Irwin Mitchell
Academy to save millions by installing solar panels
Wellacre Academy in Greater Manchester has announced completion of a 430kw solar installation. It is expected this will save the school...
16/09/16
Nicola Gooch
Barwell: Government softening commitment to starter homes and promising greater support for PRS
In an article published in Property Week today, Gavin Barwell, our newest Planning Minister, has indicated that the Government is...
13/09/16
Nicola Gooch
Can Town Planning make us better people?
The idea that there is a strong link between the health and wellbeing of a community and the architectural environment in which they live...
13/09/16