Following my recent post about post-referendum application numbers, August continued in the same vein. Online applications for the month reached 44,425, that’s 11.5% up on August last year.
Did none of you take any holidays this year?!
If you saw my blog post last week you will already know that we have been working on re-engineering and updating our interactive house and mini-guides. The new versions no longer rely on Flash and are supported by the latest mobile and desktop devices, meaning many more people can now access the information and guidance.
I’m pleased to say that the new house and interactive guides are now live and can be found at: http://interactive.planningportal.co.uk
Over the coming week we will be launching the new guides by integrating them with the site content to make finding and navigating them even easier, we will notify you once this has been completed.
Read the full story on our website by clicking on the headline.
English housing completions rise by six per cent
The latest house building data shows that 139,030 new homes were completed in the year to June 2016, although housing delivery remains well short of the rate needed to meet the government’s target…
Javid rejects two major Essex developments offering 1,500 new homes
Communities Secretary agrees with inspector’s recommendations and dismisses two appeals for large developments in Essex, concluding that neither proposal amounted to sustainable development…
Green light for Humber River gas project
£150m gas pipeline underneath the River Humber granted development consent by the Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark…
Oxfordshire housing scheme allowed by SoS
260 home development on the edge of the Oxfordshire town of Witney has been allowed on appeal after it was originally refused because of safety concerns…
Wantage neighbourhood plan stalls as report says poorer areas are missing out
Planning inspector concludes that the Wantage Neighbourhood Plan failed to promote sustainable development and suffered from “extensive protectionist policies”…
Planning round-up 1 September 2016
– Fund for new rail stations
– Proposed Cardiff University development criticised by conservation body
– Local plan moves in St Albans and Winchester
– Greater Manchester projects
– Hatfield urban extension
– Thames development concordat
– Mixed fortunes for Cheshire projects
– And more stories…
Roger Milne
Read the full story on our website by clicking on the headline.
Wandsworth calls time on pub permitted development rights
London council uses Article 4 Directions to remove permitted development rights from 120 of the boroughs most popular bars and taverns…
RTPI urges housing yardstick for national infrastructure assessment
RTPI responds to the National Infrastructure Commission’s consultation calling for infrastructure to be used to help solve the housing crisis and tackle climate change…
Route options announced for Trans-Pennine tunnel
Department for Transport shortlists five routes for the proposed new Trans-Pennine tunnel, which it describes as the most ambitious road scheme undertaken in the UK for more than 50 years…
Khan reverses Johnson’s intervention over Wimbledon stadium scheme
Sadiq Khan returns Plough Lane stadium decision to Merton Council, plans include a new 20,000-seat stadium, 602 homes and a fitness club…
Campaign to Protect Rural England calls for planning changes to boost small-scale farming
Report calls for the government to encourage more new farmers and new small-farms to kick-start a post-Brexit agricultural revolution…
Planning roundup 25 August
– HS2 safeguarding announcement
– Liverpool local plan progress
– Council approves Wigan colliery site redevelopment
– Transport projects
– Welsh schemes
– Kent shopping centre regeneration
– Birmingham city developments
– And more stories…
Roger Milne
The current Planning Portal interactive houses have been with us since 2008. They were ahead of their time, but the technology they use is now out of date and critically, can’t be viewed on mobile devices. Given that mobile and tablet usage continues to grow and the rest of our site is completely responsive to different screen sizes, it’s time to upgrade them.
So for the last few months we’ve been working on new improved interactive guides, using technology which can be seen on all types of device, including all Apple and Android ones, and is responsive to different screen sizes.
We’ve taken the opportunity to improve the integration between the houses, the mini guides and the site content, making it easier for users to find what they want more easily.
We’ve also taken a fresh, modern approach to the design, using an illustrative style which research tells us makes it easier for users to relate to their own homes.
Much as we loved the old houses, we’re really excited about the new ones and hope you will be too.
They’ll be live next Wednesday, 31st August on the English site, but you can see a sneak preview of the new homepage below.
Read the full story on our website by clicking on the headline.
RTPI report says constant policy reforms are undermining the planning system
Deep budget cuts and continual changes in planning policy have stripped public sector planners of the powers and resources to perform leadership and coordinating roles, according to report…
Javid blocks new neighbourhood for Aylesbury
1,500 home Aylesbury development appeal dismissed because of the schemes adverse impacts to the character and appearance of the landscape and the loss of distinct village identity…
Javid allows appeal over Northampton urban extension
1,000 home Northampton South Sustainable Urban Extension is granted outline planning permission on appeal despite concerns over noise and the impact on heritage assets…
SoS backs Cheshire planning authority over refusal for Nantwich housing
Communities Secretary agrees with Cheshire East Council and dismisses the appeal for a 189 home greenfield development in Nantwich…
Development consent for world’s largest offshore wind farm
300 turbine Hornsea Project Two scheme is granted development consent by the Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark…
Planning round-up 18 August 2016
– Treasury claims EU funding will be honoured
– 2,750 home Horsham scheme makes waves
– Business Secretary Clark stresses role of ‘place’ in industrial strategy
– Changes to Welsh appeals regime out for consultation
– Right to Buy replacement rate falls
– Devon turbine toppled
– Liverpool city centre developments
– And more stories…
Roger Milne
Its been nearly 2 months now since the shock result of the EU referendum. There was a lot of talk at the time about a slow down in the housing market and concerns about the impact on the economy. Of course its still too early to say what the long-term impact will be, but I thought you might be interested to know that there doesn’t seem to have been much of an impact on planning application numbers so far, at least those submitted online.
In the first half of this year we were consistently running at around 2,000 applications submitted via the Portal each working day, and since the 23 June we’ve been running at …. around 2,000 applications a day! July was just slightly under 2,000 in fact, as you can see from the graph below, but the pattern is what we’d expect for this time of the year.
The mix of application types also seems fairly standard.
So, in this case it seems that no news is indeed good news….
Read the full story on our website by clicking on the headline.
Households in line for direct shale gas development proceeds
PM amends Shale Wealth Fund proposals to include an option for the transfer of funds directly to households…
IPPR urges priority for northern transport infrastructure over HS2 and Crossrail 2
Think tank urges the Transport Secretary to adopt pro-business “North First” agenda to boost UK-wide growth…
School allowed in green belt near Maidenhead
Communities Secretary approves proposals for a green belt development, concluding that the scheme meets the “very special circumstances” needed to justify the construction…
Major Banbury housing development backed
Cherwell District Council planning committee recommend approval for a proposed 1,000 home development in Banbury…
Green light for housing and school near RAF Lakenheath
Plans for a 375 home development including land for a new primary school near RAF Lakenheath have been approved despite flight path noise concerns…
Planning round-up 11 August 2016
– Javid rejects solar farm contrary to inspector’s advice
– Report urges strategic housing for green belt
– 40-home scheme allowed despite conflict with Sussex neighbourhood plan
– Bristol developments
– Manchester free school
– Local plan backlog
– Lyons urges councils to do more on housing
– And more stories…
Roger Milne
Read the full story on our website by clicking on the headline.
Take-off for expanded London City Airport
Approval granted for £344m London City Airport expansion scheme including the creation of seven new aircraft stands and a new taxiway…
Lincolnshire Lakes development makes waves
The second phase of the £1.3bn Lincolnshire Lakes regeneration scheme has been approved by North Lincolnshire Council’s planning committee…
Cheshire council backs green belt school campus proposals
Planning committee deems that the Macclesfield’s Kings School development meets the “very special circumstances” required for development on the green belt…
£250m Woking estate revamp backed
The first phase of the Sheerwater estate regeneration scheme has been given approval by Woking Borough Council’s planning committee…
UK’s biggest sustainable urban drainage system proposed for capital location
£17m sustainable urban drainage project, designed to capture rainwater and channel it into the river Thames, has been proposed for the Nine Elms South Bank regeneration area…
Planning round-up 4 August 2016
– Welsh power line project
– North west National Parks extend
– New Welsh regime for major development kicks-in
– Northern Enterprise Zone progress
– Welwyn Garden City new homes
– New housing supply inquiry
– Call for new powers for councils to boost housing
– And more stories…
Roger Milne
Read the full story on our website by clicking on the headline.
Planning Inspectorate insists appeal delays have been sorted
The agency’s latest annual report acknowledges that in several areas of the planning appeals service the organisation fell short of meeting its targets…
Minister urged to clarify government intentions over local plans
MPs call on the planning minister to set out how the new administration proposes to reform the legislative and local plan making process…
North East rail strategy backed by combined authority
£1bn Metro and local rail services investment strategy designed to put whole towns and communities back on the national railway map has been agreed by the North East Combined Authority…
Retirement housing shortage quantified
New report shows an increasing gap in the supply of retirement housing with an estimated shortage of 376,000 housing units by 2050…
Watchdog urges more action over Durham cowshed cause célèbre
Further report issued by the Local Government Ombudsman on Durham cowshed planning complaint and the subsequent recommendations…
Planning round-up 28 July 2016
– Makeover for UK’s first pedestrianised precinct
– Development Consent Order granted for potash project’s harbour facilities
– Retail activity dips
– Devolution housing deals assessment
– MPs probe forestry policy
– Dorset prison redevelopment blocked
– And more stories…
Roger Milne
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