Planning and Housing

The Health Foundation calls for government overhaul for a healthy society

16.10.19: The Health Foundation has today (Oct 16) urged government to consider policy changes to housing, transport and education after new report shows a risk to the future of young people. The report, A heathy foundation for the future, calls for...

The Queen’s Speech Roundup: Crime, social care and devolution bills

14.10.19: Boris Johnson has set out his Government’s major policies on crime, the environment and Brexit in today’s Queen Speech, including the announcement that a Devolution White Paper will be published. Housing safety in the wake of Gr...

Exeter City Council set to embark on £18m residential project

08.10.19: Exeter City Council has outlined its plan to embark on an £18m residential housing project, aimed at delivering 100 homes by summer 2022 across four sites in the city. The funding was authorised through the local authorities&rsqu...

Rural areas concern as number of barn conversions without planning rise

23.09.19: Rural areas have seen a spike in the number of barns and farm buildings being turned into homes. Over the past three years there has been an almost 230 per cent increase on these transformations happening, all without the need for planning permi...

Peterborough City Council to tackle homelessness with its own housing company

20.09.19: Peterborough City Council to ask for cabinet approval to set up their own Housing Revenue Account (HRA), enabling the council to provide hundreds of new homes over the coming decades to help solve the city's homelessness crisis. ...

Shropshire council approves funding for new homes

19.09.19: In a full council meeting earlier today (Thursday 19), Shropshire council have reached a unanimous decision to agree funding and the transfer of land for the building of new homes. The council-owned local housing company Cornovii Developmen...

North Oxford looks set for £500m development plan

18.09.19: A £500m development plan for North Oxford looks likely to get the green light from Oxford City Council officers. The proposal includes 480 new homes and offices with a 4,500-job capacity and an 18-bedroom hotel, to be located near the...

Government awards £2m to prevent illegal greenbelt development

18.09.19: Housing minister Esther McVey has announced £2m funding to “ensure the UK greenbelt remains untouched and protected” by preventing illegal greenbelt development. The funding will be shared across 37 areas of the UK, w...

West Midlands Combined Authority to deliver 4,000 new homes

17.09.19: A pioneering partnership between the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and Lovell Partnerships provides opportunity to pave the way for over 4,000 new homes. Confirmed by mayor Andy Street today (Tuesday 17 Sept), the partnership will...

Welsh government grants council £300,000 to reduce homelessness

28.08.19: Newport City Council has been given £300,000 by the Welsh Government to help address issues of repeat homelessness in the city through a ‘Housing First’ project. The scheme is designed to assist those who need si...

Enfield council submits application for 2,300 homes in London

08.08.19: As part of its next phase of the £6bn Meridian Water scheme in north London, Enfield council have submitted plans for 2,300 new homes on the site. The application is the largest ever submitted to the local authority, and has been...

Thousands of new council homes part of 2040 Wales vision

08.08.19: A development vision for Wales by 2040 has outlined more urban living, and earmarked the building of thousands of new council homes. As part of the vision, a new planning framework – the National Development Framework – is...

West Lothian Council appoints new head of housing

06.08.19: West Lothian Council have appointed Ann Marie Carr to serve as their new head of housing, customer and building services. Ms Carr has been serving in the role on an interim basis since December 2018, but is now set to take over the pos...

Kensington and Chelsea Council announce £57m for estate

26.07.19: Kensington and Chelsea Council are set to invest £57m to transform Lancaster West Estate in west London. According to a report to the council, the project will deliver “a model 21st century social housing estate”. Bui...

Brokenshire reveals new measures to stamp out ‘poor doors’ segregation

23.07.19: The government has pledged to ban “poor doors” to help end the segregation of social housing residents in mixed-housing developments in future builds. Communities secretary James Brokenshire announced the measures to “tack...