Back in December 2022, we posted on the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill which was introduced to the House of Commons on 22 September 2022 by the then Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Jacob Rees-Mogg – see here for our post. Following some delay the Bill has now completed … Read more

This article was first published in Estates Gazette on 12 April 2023 – see here. Emphasising local support secured by economic benefits may be in conflict with the long-standing principle that planning permissions should not be bought and sold. The December 2022 government consultation on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework closed in March … Read more

Summary As a part of a prolific run of policy consultation and updates in the planning world, the Government recently published and sought views on how a proposed new system of environmental assessment (Environmental Outcomes Reports or EOR) could work as a replacement to the existing SEA/EIA regimes (here). The consultation was published on 17 … Read more

In February, we published a blog discussing a few of the principal updates arising from the government consultation on the new building safety regime for occupied higher-risk buildings under the Building Safety Act 2022 (the Act). A further response has now been published to provide greater clarity on the registration process, together with an updated … Read more

As the Building Safety Act 2022 (the “Act“) continues to make waves across the real estate sector, one quiet, but very important, ripple should not be overlooked. Landlords of residential and mixed‑use buildings containing at least two dwellings and being above 11 metres high (or at least 5 storeys) with building safety defects will soon … Read more

Or “Why a populist approach to planning is a mistake” It is a fact that planning decisions made by local authorities, the Planning Inspectorate (“PINS”) or the Secretary of State will not always reflect the vocal opinions of some local groups, even where they claim to speak for the whole community. This was always a … Read more

It’s the early 1980s, a Conservative government is in power and struggling through a period of economic volatility following the “winter of discontent” during which widespread public and private sector strikes gripped the nation. Soaring inflation, rising oil costs and outspoken demands for increased wages are contributing to a sense of national crisis. Sound familiar? … Read more

The Build-to-Rent sector (“BTR“) has continued gathering momentum over the last year and looks set to continue that way. However, the Government’s proposed reform of the private rented sector has caused much huffing and puffing in the real estate sector, much like the story of the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf. Will … Read more