The Planning Portal Annual Conference 2021 will take place virtually on 15 – 18 November 2021, and you can now book tickets to attend.
Bigger and better than last year!
Following the success of our last event, we are again going to be hosting our conference virtually across four days, but this year it will be even bigger and better!
Read more…Our most recent data shows that compared to May 2020, when the country was just beginning to open up after the first lockdown, the number of planning applications submitted throughout May 2021 has increased across all regions of England and Wales.
For the third month in a row the leading region, in terms of the number of applications submitted, is the North East with a 67 per cent rise from last year.
Read more…Much like proverbial London buses, several key legislative changes from Whitehall are all coming along at once on 1 August 2021.
They will affect a range of application types on the Planning Portal as well as the guidance we provide around common projects, and we are working to update the content on the service to account for them all.
Read on for more details…
Read more…Government promises a ‘nature positive’ future
The UK Government has committed itself to creating a ‘nature positive’ future as part of its response to the Dasgupta Review, which was published in February 2021.
Laura Edgar, The Planner
Regeneration masterplan adopted in West Midlands town
Birmingham City Council has adopted a masterplan that is intended to regenerate the town centre of Sutton Coldfield.
Laura Edgar, The Planner
Community group awarded cash for NDO
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has awarded Arches Chatham Neighbourhood Forum (ACNF) a sum of £50,000 in funding to go towards the creation of one England’s first neighbourhood development orders (NDO).
Laura Edgar, The Planner
Around 90% of online planning permissions are submitted via the Planning Portal. Our placement in the planning and development industry puts us in a unique position to offer unrivalled insight into proposed development.
Over the last year, we have seen an unprecedented amount of applications submitted. However, over the last couple of months there has been a slight decrease in application numbers. Last month saw fewer applications submitted than the previous month – 63,497 in May 2021, compared to 65,357 in April 2021.
Read more…Government announces cash for Town Deals and a nature programme for Cornwall
Communities secretary Robert Jenrick has announced that 30 towns in England will receive a share of £725 million to help to boost local economies and create jobs.
Laura Edgar, The Planner
Alliance seeks to mitigate changing rainfall patterns in Kent woods
The RSPB and ecological consultancy Ecological Planning and Research (EPR) Ltd have teamed up to alleviate the impact of the climate crisis on critical ancient woodland in Kent.
Laura Edgar, The Planner
‘Sporadic funding’ stifling net-zero efforts
A systematic approach to planning, funding and powers is needed to meet net-zero ambitions at the local level, rather than the current ‘sporadic funding’ described as ‘stifling’ in a new report.
Laura Edgar, The Planner
The headlines
For the second month in a row, planning application submission numbers have dropped from the peak we saw in March. A total of 63,497 planning applications submitted throughout May 2021, a three per cent decrease on the previous month.
Compared to May 2020, when the country was starting to recover from the initial lockdown restrictions, there has been an increase of 52 per cent.
The average number of applications submitted per working day in May was 2,710; an increase of 54 per cent daily.
Read more…High Court upholds council’s decision to refuse Ocado’s plans for new depot
The High Court has dismissed online supermarket Ocado’s judicial review claim against Islington Council’s refusal for its application for a 24/7 online grocery distribution centre in Tufnell Park.
Laura Edgar, The Planner
Key workers prioritised for flagship First Homes development
The government has announced that discounted homes will be available for local people and key workers as part of the flagship First Homes scheme to be delivered near Bolsover, Derbyshire.
Laura Edgar, The Planner
Councils to be enabled to ‘tackle exploitation’ on mobile home sites
Housing and rough sleeping minister Eddie Hughes has set out stricter rules to ‘clamp down’ on the ‘small minority’ of rogue mobile site owners and managers, better protecting mobile home residents in England.
Laura Edgar, The Planner
A third of UK population covered by councils pledging net-zero
More than a third of the UK’s population is now represented by local authorities that are planning to reach net-zero emissions ahead of the government’s 2050 commitment.
Huw Morris, The Planner
Fire statement proposal for high-rise developments after Grenfell
Developers must submit a fire statement alongside a planning application for multi-occupied residential buildings under government proposals following the Grenfell Tower disaster.
Huw Morris, The Planner
London’s brownfield has the capacity for 400k homes
More than 400,000 homes within 1.5km of a town centre could be built on brownfield land in London, according to an AECOM report.
Laura Edgar, The Planner
Regional planning application submission data from April indicates a reduction in the number of applications submitted across all regions when compared to March 2021.
There is more to this data than meets the eye, however. None of these figures show more than a 19% decrease, and it should be taken into account that April has a reduced number of working days due to the Easter holidays.
When comparing April 2021’s figures to those of April 2020, the difference is significant. Regions in the North have seen large increases in application figures: a 92% increase on 2020 in the North East, and a 61% increase on 2019. Up until April 2021, the North East region has shown increases in the number of applications submitted month on month which helps to explain this vast difference. The North West follows at a close second, with an 85% increase when compared to April 2020.
Read more…
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