From 12th February 2024, biodiversity net gain (BNG) will be mandatory for all major developments (unless otherwise exempt) made under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Major developments include residential sites with 10 or more […]
New Planning Fees: Navigating the Changes for 2024
As of December 6, 2023, a significant shift in planning fees has taken place, marking a notable change in the regulatory landscape. The Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests, and Site […]
Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill receives Royal Assent
On 26th October, 2023, the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill of 2022-23 received Royal Assent, officially becoming the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Act 2023, often referred to as LURA 2023. While the full scope of LURA 2023 is […]
Will changes to national planning policy encourage onshore wind development?
Last week, the Government announced amendments to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to ease planning restrictions. The hope is that it will make it easier for onshore wind farms to be built, and end […]
National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF): Have Your Say on Proposed Revisions
On 22 December 2022 the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities published a consultation document on the proposed reforms to National Planning Policy together with their proposed revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework, […]
Investment Zones – What do they mean for planning?
The Government intends to create Investment Zones (IZ) in England and to work closely with the devolved administrations to establish investment zones in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Companies and new development located within IZ […]
Recent Successes Strengthen Argument for Green Energy
New solar and wind plants in the UK built in the next 20 years will be much cheaper than the government previously forecast. This, combined with the news that wind power generation in the UK […]
Downsizing ‘Put Off’ by Over Three Million Older People in England
A new study by Homes for Later Living, a consortium made up of Lifestory Group, McCarthy and Stone, Churchill Retirement Living and former Treasury economist Chris Walker, highlights that around 25 percent of people aged […]
‘Automatic’ Planning Permission Approval to Speed-Up Building
New homes and hospitals will be granted “automatic” permission to be built as part of sweeping planning reforms in England, the housing secretary says. Robert Jenrick announced a “permission in principle” will be given to […]
UK Battery Capacity Could Be Tripled with Cuts in Red Tape
Government ministers are hoping to triple the country’s energy storage capacity by relaxing the planning rules which threatened to suppress a nationwide battery boom. The government recently passed legislation to allow large-scale energy storage projects […]
Planning Permission Deadlines to Be Extended
New measures to help the construction industry boost building and return to work safely will be introduced this week. This is to help kickstart the economy following restrictive measures introduced to limit the spread of […]
Planning Decisions and Applications see a Decline in England
Planning authorities at district-level granted 83,500 planning decisions in the fourth quarter of 2019, which is equivalent to 87 per cent of all decisions. According to statistics published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and […]