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Putting the Punk into Planning

The British high street had been struggling long before COVID-19, and its accelerated decline is well documented. However, with some town centres already in the process of regeneration, all is not necessarily lost.  In fact, current vacancies and changes to town centres represent an opportunity to shake things up a bit and deliver a different […]

The London Plan: what’s next?

At last we are about to have a new London Plan. It is set for publication next week.   It’s been a long and fraught process. Sadiq Khan was elected in May 2016, and published his initial consultation document, A City for All Londoners, in October 2016. The draft new London Plan was published at […]

Design: so how does that work?

The Government has issued a consultation on its guidance regarding the National Model Design Code, and there is much in the content that is of merit. But in considering a response we would do well to remember Steve Job’s quote: “Design is not just what it looks like or feels like. It’s how it works.” […]

Housing – at any cost?

Last September, the Government introduced the new Use Class E, which brought together a wide range of “town centre” uses and allowed unfettered change between them. The uses include most shops, food and drink, offices, light industry, medical premises, gyms and others. The regulations contained a confusingly-worded section that effectively said that where Permitted Development […]

The Heart of the Matter

When creating a new 21st Century community at the scale of a traditional small market town (circa 4500 homes, large enough for a secondary school), the most critical element is its town centre – its beating heart – a thriving social and economic anchor, on which lies its success, writes Lord Matthew Taylor. In times […]

Under the Radar – Planning’s Other Stories

There were apparently 44,000 responses to the White Paper consultation, and for months the Planning airwaves have been heavy with comment from every direction. However, Planning is constantly evolving, and often things that don’t dominate the headlines have big ramifications. The three below are worth noting: Carbon Collision Course? Take as an example the GLA’s […]

Planning for Net Zero Carbon in 2050

The UK Government’s legally binding commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 is admirable, but needs a proper plan. The recent publication of The Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution is a useful guide to the Government’s ambitions, but it lacks any real substance. The extensive list of outstanding white papers […]

Building More Beautifully

One of the highlights of the optimistic few weeks at the beginning of 2020 was the publication of the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission’s report. Many months in the making, it represented the distillation of the views of a number of accomplished and enlightened experts involved with urban design and placemaking, all of whom were […]