In this Deep Dive edition, we’ll be discussing whether, in the wake of claims about corruption in planning that have been widely rejected by the sector, the planning system is more compromised by developer influence than practitioners think. In particular, we'll be examining: How common are cases of criminal corruption in planning? Why is there a perception that it's a problem? Beyond issues of corruption, are there questions around the relationships between developers and planning decision-make...
Feb 12, 2025•27 min•Season 2025Ep. 131
This week, we will be discussing a series of planning announcements made by chancellor Rachel Reeves in an effort to boost economic growth. We're going to focus on: Her promise of a review of the statutory consultee system to “slash planning system red tape”. Her announcement of changes to the environmental assessment regime. The prime minister's proposal to limit objectors’ chances to overturn major infrastructure decisions in the courts from three to one or two. In addition, we discuss our exc...
Feb 05, 2025•24 min•Season 2025Ep. 130
In this Deep Dive edition, we’ll be discussing: The new National Planning Policy Framework’s (NPPF) introduction of ‘golden rules’ that apply to developer contributions for development on green belt land, and how the government has softened the rules in the final version compared to the draft. The devolution white paper’s proposals for groups of councils to draw up new sub-regional strategic development plans, and how they would work. We’ll also be rounding up the other key news from the past we...
Jan 30, 2025•33 min•Season 2025Ep. 129
In this episode, we discuss: What the secretary of state for housing, Angela Rayner, said about planning when she appeared before MPs on the housing, communities and local government select committee. A developer winning an appeal against the demolition of its 200-home tower block scheme following a high-profile enforcement case launched by the local authority. The councils that are at risk of planning performance special measures for determining the fewest applications within government time li...
Jan 22, 2025•21 min•Season 2025Ep. 128
In this Deep Dive edition, we’ll be discussing our latest annual Planning Consultancy Market Report, which takes an in-depth and exclusive look at the planning consultancy market. We'll be examining: The firms with the biggest and fastest-growing planning consultancy teams. The companies with the highest planning fee income and fee rates. And consultants’ thoughts on the state of the job market and most sought-after skills. Key planning news, and why it’s important, brought to you by the team be...
Jan 16, 2025•23 min•Season 2025Ep. 127
In this episode, we discuss: The publication of the government’s long-awaited devolution white paper, and the far-reaching planning changes proposed in it. A planning inspector cancelling a council’s local plan examination hearings after just one session due to “significant” soundness and legal concerns. The latest housing delivery test results – what they mean for local authorities. Key planning news, and why it’s important, brought to you by the team behind Planning magazine, the leading sourc...
Jan 08, 2025•22 min•Season 2025Ep. 126
In this episode, we discuss the publication of the final version of the new Labour government’s revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). In particular, we're going to focus on the changes to national policy on local housing need, housing land supply, and green belt, and the transitional arrangements for local plan-making. We'll also be rounding up the other key non-NPPF news from the past week. Key planning news, and why it’s important, brought to you by the team behind Planning magazi...
Dec 18, 2024•37 min•Season 2024Ep. 125
In this episode, we discuss: The housing secretary this week announcing radical changes to planning committee decision-making; The prime minister making the government’s national housing target and a promise to speed up major infrastructure consents one of its six parliamentary milestones in its Plan for Change ; The government cutting its local authority planning performance assessment period for speed of decision-making from 24 to 12 months. Key planning news, and why it’s important, brought t...
Dec 11, 2024•25 min•Season 2024Ep. 124
In this Deep Dive edition, we’ll be discussing a Planning report on the impact of growing local authority mergers on planning teams and asking why they are happening and what the benefits and challenges are. Key planning news, and why it’s important, brought to you by the team behind Planning magazine, the leading source of independent intelligence for planning professionals for more than 50 years. Find the latest planning news at planningresource.co.uk and @planningMag Room 106 was the Professi...
Dec 04, 2024•23 min•Season 2024Ep. 123
In this episode, we discuss: Why the Office for Place was axed, and what it means for design quality; What the planning minister revealed when he appeared before the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee; Councils that are taking successful action against developers to uphold planning gain contributions. Key planning news, and why it’s important, brought to you by the team behind Planning magazine, the leading source of independent intelligence for planning professionals for more t...
Nov 27, 2024•29 min•Season 2024Ep. 122
In this Deep Dive edition, we’ll be discussing a Planning report into England’s 30 busiest local planning authorities, including: which councils are listed in the study; their application workload and fee income; their staffing levels; their appeal success rate; and their enforcement activity. Key planning news, and why it’s important, brought to you by the team behind Planning magazine, the leading source of independent intelligence for planning professionals for more than 50 years. Find the la...
Nov 21, 2024•21 min•Season 2024Ep. 121
In this issue, we will be discussing the following stories and asking whether they show a toughening of the government’s line against local authorities that it believes to be resisting development: Housing secretary Angela Rayner calling in plans for an 8,400-home garden village in Kent just three hours before the council was due to consider it; An inspector allowing up to 1,000 homes on green belt land in Essex on the basis of the council’s ‘extremely poor’ housing delivery record; Other inspec...
Nov 13, 2024•17 min•Season 2024Ep. 120
In this Deep Dive edition, we’ll be discussing a Planning investigation into how the new biodiversity net gain policy is bedding in six months after it was introduced, and highlighting a series of findings from our exclusive reader survey. We’ll also be rounding up the key planning news from last week’s budget. Key planning news, and why it’s important, brought to you by the team behind Planning magazine, the leading source of independent intelligence for planning professionals for more than 50 ...
Nov 06, 2024•33 min•Season 2024Ep. 119
This week, we discuss: Research by housebuilders on how much unspent developer contribution cash councils are holding onto in their reserves; Further local plans falling victim to the new hardline approach from planning inspectors on the duration of plan examinations: Two unusual planning enforcement cases. We also round up the other key news from the past week to make sure you’re up to speed on all the goings-on in the planning sector. Key planning news, and why it’s important, brought to you b...
Oct 30, 2024•23 min•Season 2024Ep. 118
In this Deep Dive edition, we'll be discussing: How draft National Planning Policy Framework revisions would allow more green belt applications to avoid going through the tough “very special circumstances” decision-making test; Why ministerial efforts to speed up local plan examinations is likely to see more plans fail in the short term but should force councils to submit better quality strategies. We also round up the other key news from the past week to make sure you’re up to speed on all the ...
Oct 23, 2024•25 min•Season 2024Ep. 117
This week, we discuss: Why planning consultants and lawyers are alarmed about new requirements for the early submission of planning obligation agreements as part of written representation appeals; Three more councils announcing delays to their local plans in response to the government’s proposed national planning policy changes; A council in Oxfordshire being condemned as "wholly irresponsible" for a £213,000 overspend on defending appeals so far this year; Seven planning partners defect from on...
Oct 16, 2024•28 min•Season 2024Ep. 116
In this Deep Dive edition, we’ll be discussing: Why so many local authorities are spending money on agency staff to work in their planning teams, what problems this causes, and how councils can make best use of them; The planning highlights from last week’s Conservative Party Conference. We also round up the other key news from the past week to make sure you’re up to speed on all the goings-on in the planning sector. Key planning news, and why it’s important, brought to you by the team behind Pl...
Oct 09, 2024•28 min•Season 2024Ep. 115
In this edition, we examine: The key news from last week’s Labour Party conference in Liverpool, including a possible delay to the publication of the final version of the new National Planning Policy Framework; The government’s publication of new details on its proposal for “brownfield passports” to speed up development on previously used land; The highlights from the Liberal Democrat autumn 2024 conference in Brighton. We also round up the other key news from the past week to make sure you’re u...
Oct 03, 2024•22 min•Season 2024Ep. 114
In this Deep Dive edition, we’ll be examining two big proposed changes in the draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF): What revisions to national policy on affordable housing would mean for planners, and how effective they would be in boosting the delivery of homes for social rent; The implications of the government’s intention to make urban brownfield developments ‘acceptable in principle’, and other related NPPF tweaks around brownfield land. We also round up the other key news from th...
Sep 26, 2024•32 min•Season 2024Ep. 113
This week, we discuss: The High Court quashing the secretary of state’s controversial permission for a new coal mine in Cumbria; Planning inspectors recommending that a council withdraws its local plan due to its “unwillingness” to release green belt sites to meet housing need; Voters in a town overwhelmingly rejected a neighbourhood plan in a referendum after fears were raised about green belt protection. We also round up the other key news from the past week to make sure you’re up to speed on ...
Sep 18, 2024•22 min•Season 2024Ep. 112
In this Deep Dive, we discuss: What the proposed cutting of 'beauty' references in the draft NPPF would mean for planners; What the government’s plans to more than double householder application fees might mean for local authorities. PLUS the past fortnight’s other headlines summarised. Key planning news, and why it’s important, brought to you by the team behind Planning magazine, the leading source of independent intelligence for planning professionals for more than 50 years. Find the latest pl...
Sep 11, 2024•33 min•Season 2024Ep. 111
In this episode, we discuss: Why councils faced with hikes in housing requirements under Labour’s proposed changes to the assessment method are accelerating plan preparation; What we know about the government’s task force to speed up housing delivery; What the fact that only a handful of applications for government biodiversity gain credits have been made tells us about how the system is operating. PLUS the past fortnight’s other headlines summarised. Key planning news, and why it’s important, b...
Sep 05, 2024•19 min•Season 2024Ep. 110
In this Deep Dive edition, we’ll be discussing the five circumstances that are “exceptional” enough to justify releasing green belt in local plans – including the extent of local need – and why, if Labour’s proposed changes to national policy are carried through, it will become more important for councils to know about them. Key planning news, and why it’s important, brought to you by the team behind Planning magazine, the leading source of independent intelligence for planning professionals for...
Aug 29, 2024•27 min•Season 2024Ep. 109
In this episode, we will be discussing: A local authority revealing an unauthorised £826,000 overspend in its planning budget due to a huge application backlog; How a number of councils halting local plan work due to the new government’s national planning policy changes; Four local authorities issuing a legal threat to the government over the energy secretary’s “error” in approving a huge solar farm. Key planning news, and why it’s important, brought to you by the team behind Planning magazine, ...
Aug 21, 2024•18 min•Season 2024Ep. 108
In this Deep Dive edition, we examine: How and why a unitary authority is making an unusually big investment in its planning service; How the proposed National Planning Policy Framework revisions would change local housing need assessment, and what this might mean for planners. Key planning news, and why it’s important, brought to you by the team behind Planning magazine, the leading source of independent intelligence for planning professionals for more than 50 years. Find the latest planning ne...
Aug 14, 2024•31 min•Season 2024Ep. 107
In this episode, we look in more detail at the government's big planning announcements last week. We discuss: The councils that would see their housing need rise most under the government’s proposed new assessment method. The Planning Inspectorate warning the housing minister that his hard line on local plan examination delays will lead to more strategies being either recommended for withdrawal or found unsound. The deputy prime minister Angela Rayner telling councils to rework advanced plans th...
Aug 08, 2024•20 min•Season 2024Ep. 106
In this episode, we summarise key changes proposed in the government’s draft revised National Planning Policy Framework, as well as initial reaction from the sector. Key planning news, and why it’s important, brought to you by the team behind Planning magazine, the leading source of independent intelligence for planning professionals for more than 50 years. Find the latest planning news at planningresource.co.uk and @planningMag Room 106 is the Professional Publishers Association’s Podcast of th...
Aug 02, 2024•32 min•Season 2024Ep. 105
In this episode, we will be discussing the first King’s Speech since the new Labour government was elected, which featured two bills proposing changes to the planning system. We will also look at: The appointment of a planning barrister as one of government’s most senior legal advisors following her election to Parliament as an MP; Fury in the industry at an ex-prime ministerial advisor’s claims in a national newspaper opinion piece of the planning system’s ‘endemic sleaze’ and ‘rampant corrupti...
Jul 24, 2024•22 min•Season 2024Ep. 104
In this Deep Dive edition, we examine the planning issues that are raised by the growth of data centres, including: The current national policy situation; The new Labour government’s attitude towards them; The challenges facing local authorities and developers planning for these kinds of development. PLUS, we round up the other most important news stories of the past seven days. Key planning news, and why it’s important, brought to you by the team behind Planning magazine, the leading source of ...
Jul 17, 2024•24 min•Season 2024Ep. 103
This week, we’re focusing on Labour's seismic election victory the plethora of planning changes it announced almost straight away. This includes: A series of planning announcements made by new chancellor Rachel Reeves in her speech on Monday morning; A change to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to remove what the government called the “absurd” de facto ban on onshore wind schemes; The appointment of a new housing secretary and two new housing department ministers; A flavour of some ...
Jul 10, 2024•25 min•Season 2024Ep. 102
