Ian is an old mate of mine and I would therefore like to send Ian our congratulations on his new role as CEO [interim] of the Cabinet Office Central Property unit. The Government press release on Ian’s new role suggests he will be focusing on the Government’s initiative to rationalise its owned and leased estate [...]
The Ministry of Defence has confirmed it is the Government’s intention to dispose of a considerable number of additional military and defence related sites with many to be sold by 2021. Last year’s Strategic Defence Review outlined the MOD’s aim to reduce the size of the defence estate by 30% before 2040. The latest [...]
Very recently the Court of Appeal overturned the previous High Court decision in favour of various local authorities that the 2014 Government affordable housing policy relating to small schemes and the Vacant Building Credit was unlawful. The Court of Appeal has ruled this was an incorrect decision. They ruled Vacant Building Credit relating to empty [...]
The EA has released a range of revised allowances relating to various components of climate change such as ‘peak river flow allowances, peak rainfall intensity allowance and offshore wind speed ‘ among others. The EA has looked at every river basin catchment and coastal area and has adopted more onerous climate change allowances. Amongst other [...]
So the Government does not ignore the complex social and economic issues pertinent to the English countryside. DCLG has now released its Rural Planning Review and is calling for observations to be made to ruralplanningreview@communiuties.gsi.gov.uk by April 21 2016. The policy review seeks to reduce the regulatory burden in support of new homes, jobs and [...]
DCLG tell us they have no news on when they will be able to confirm either the transitional arrangements for those of you with unimplemented prior approvals for a PD change from office to residential, or regarding the next round of PD changes included in the recent Housing and Planning Bill. Apparently the Government has [...]
• PDR Office to Residential Change Our contact within DCLG has indicated that transitional measures will be approved before the PDR for office conversion to residential is made permanent in May 2016. This will ensure prior notification applications approved before this date, but which have not been implemented, can remain valid for 3 years from [...]
The industry is holding its breath to see whether David Cameron moves forward on his promise made at the recent Tory party conference that developers will no longer have to provide social housing for rent as part of development schemes and rather discounted starter homes. None of us are quite sure of the long term [...]
Following a ministerial statement in March and the more recent launch of the Housing and Planning Bill through its parliamentary journey towards the Statute Book, the key planning initiatives can be summarised as relating to: • Neighbourhood planning • Local planning • Planning in Greater London • Local registers of land and permission for development [...]
Planning and housing minister Brandon Lewis has at long last put the industry out of its misery regarding this extremely helpful regeneration initiative by announcing that the previously temporary office to residential PD rights due to lapse in May 2016 will be made permanent. This initiative will also now allow office buildings to be demolished [...]