50 Shades of Planning

In February 2010 the opposition Conservative party published a green paper called 'Open Source Planning', which promised to "restore democratic and local control over the planning system". In a Written Ministerial Statement in July 2010 the Conservative Secretary of State for the Department of Communities & Local Government revoked the Regional Strategies. The revocation of Regional Strategies will make local spatial plans, drawn up in conformity with national policy, the basis for local planning decisions. The new planning system will be clear, efficient and will put greater power in the hands of local people, rather than regional bodies. Revoking, and then abolishing, Regional Strategies will mean that the planning system is simpler, more efficient and easier for people to understand. It will be firmly rooted in the local community. And it will encourage the investment, economic growth and housing that Britain needs. The Localism genie was well and truly out of

Episode number 119 of the podcast is available now via this link or from iTunes and Spotify . In Hitting the High Notes episodes like this one I chat to preeminent figures in the planning and property sectors about the six planning permissions or projects that helped to shape them as professionals. And, so that Listeners can get to know people a little better personally, for every project or stage of their career I also asks his guests for a piece of music that reminds them of that period. It's town planning’s equivalent of Desert Island Discs. Unlike Desert Island Discs you will not hear any of that music during the episode because using commercially-licensed music without the copyright holders permission or a very expensive PRS licensing agreement could land me in hot water, so, when you have finished listening, you will have to make do with YouTube videos and a Spotify playlist, links to which you will find in the description. My guest for this episode is Nick Kilby , founder

"In today’s Autumn Statement for Growth our choice is not big government, high spending and high tax because we know that leads to less growth, not more. Instead we reduce debt, cut taxes and reward work. We deliver world class education. We build domestic sustainable energy. And we back British business with 110 growth measures – don’t worry, I’m not going to go through them all – but in summary they… …remove planning red tape …speed up access to the national grid …support entrepreneurs raising capital …get behind our fastest growing industries …unlock foreign direct investment …boost productivity …reform welfare …level up opportunity to every corner of the country …and cut business taxes." So the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, began his speech introducing the Autumn Statement last November, with the scourge of that dastardly planning red tape very much front and centre. "It takes too long to approve infrastructure projects and business planning applications. Many businesses

What would I want to do were I not a town planner? Every now and then I imagine myself as the Chief Football Writer at a broadsheet newspaper and to indulge that fantasy a little I have got into the habit of writing a match report on Instagram (@samuel__stafford) after every game that I have been to. This is a collation of reports that tell the story of my 2023/24 season. Bolton Wanderers 3 Lincoln City 0 5 August 2023 Summer is football’s Spring. A period pregnant with possibility. Time suspended in the present. No buts, the past has gone. Only ifs, floating in the warm summer breeze. The fickle finger of fate is yet to the determine the future of a lucky chosen few. These look like decent signings. This could be our year. Then, would you believe it, within four minutes the referee awards a corner that clearly should have been a goal kick (it was right in front of us, it really should), the switched-on attacker steals a march on the switched-off defender, and the ball begins an inexor