It has been an ambition of successive governments that it should be easier for first-time buyers to get on to the property ladder. On 6 August 2020, alongside the Planning White Paper, the government launched a consultation called Changes to the current planning system, setting out four proposals including how the government proposes to secure … Read more

Technological improvements in the planning system are long overdue. Technology has advanced significantly since the Town and Country Planning Act was first introduced, which begs the question: why is the planning system so outdated when it comes to obtaining planning permission? This is a point taken up by “Planning for the future“, the Planning White … Read more

The Planning White Paper published this month proposes a major overhaul of the planning regime in England, yet includes just one reference to the development consent regime. This is despite the fact that the introduction of that regime in 2008 was, in my view, one of the most successful changes made to the English planning … Read more

On 1 September 2020, the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2020 (the Regulations) will come into force, making far reaching amendments to the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 (UCO). Whilst the UCO has been amended several times since its introduction in 1987, these are the most significant reforms … Read more

The Government has announced legislation to change the consenting process for electricity storage projects. This is expected to provide a boost to the battery storage sector. Last November, we wrote a blog detailing the Government’s proposed changes in relation to energy storage under planning law. The Government is now proceeding with its proposals and will … Read more

The long awaited and much anticipated planning reforms that were heralded by the Housing Secretary in the Sunday Telegraph last weekend are finally available for us all to see. Our team is taking time to digest the consultation proposals carefully, along with proposals in a second consultation published on the same day on further changes … Read more

You will have noticed them popping up in towns and cities across the UK, the monuments to our new way of living: temporary cycle lanes, designed to funnel people safely into work and town centres without the need to crowd onto public transport or gridlock the roads with cars. Along with the improvement in air … Read more

In a previous blog post in June we reported on the Business and Planning Bill 2019-2020 (the Bill) and the planning measures relating to the planning appeals procedure, extension of the life of planning permissions, longer construction hours, inspection of the London Plan, and pavement licences. The Bill received Royal Assent on 22 July 2020. … Read more