Planning and Housing

Midlands council saved £1.5m through combatting tenancy fraud

21.06.18: Tenancy fraud cost Solihull Council almost £1.58m last year, according to recent figures. A report presented to the council’s audit committee revealed that, since April 2017, 17 council properties have been recovered as a result of...

CCN calls for larger county council role in planning

20.06.18: A larger role for county councils in planning to solve the affordability crisis has been backed by two new reports launched today. A study from Catriona Riddell Associates for the County Councils Network (CCN) has called for a re-introduction o...

Councils should copy New York’s property levy to raise billions

20.06.18: Councils in England could raise up to £62bn by mirroring New York’s property levy, according to the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE). ACE’s report, ‘Unlocking housing: Invigorating local communities thro...

Combustible cladding to be banned in high-rises

19.06.18: James Brokenshire has finally revealed plans to ban the use of combustible cladding on high-rise residential buildings. A consultation on banning the use of combustible materials on the walls of high-rise residential buildings over 18 metres ta...

Bolton council buys shopping centre as part of £1bn town centre masterplan

15.06.18: Bolton Council has purchased Crompton Place shopping centre in a £14.8m deal. The move has been funded by the council’s £100m town centre fund, which is financed through a low interest loan and repaid using dividends from Manc...

Lambeth to create 738 homes on brown-field site

14.06.18: London’s borough of Lambeth now has planning permission for 738 new homes. A Grade II listed gas holder— in which natural or town gas is stored at ambient temperatures— will be dismantled, restored and rebuilt as part of a new...

Councils spend £100m on fire safety post-Grenfell – but many denied any government help

13.06.18: London councils have spent almost £100m on safety measures since the Grenfell Tower tragedy last year, new figures have revealed. The spending was declared by 24 boroughs in response to Freedom of Information requests by the BBC, and has...

Virgin Media to go to court with council over land usage

11.06.18: Virgin Media have launched an unprecedented legal challenge against Durham County Council over accusations it is blocking plans to bring ultrafast broadband to homes in the area. Tension between the two parties was caused by Virgin’s...

Council’s ability to replace homes sold under Right to Buy will be ‘all but eliminated’ within five years

11.06.18: The current Right-to-Buy (RTB) scheme could collapse unless councils are granted more cash to replace the homes sold, a report has claimed. The scheme, championed by Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, allowed council house tenants to buy...

Approval given for 172 new homes in Dorset

07.06.18: Weymouth & Portland Borough Council’s planning committee has given the green light for 172 new homes. A development of 114 homes on land that is currently used for agricultural purposes was approved by the committee yesterday. This...

WYCA to consider £380m investment growth and transport schemes

06.06.18: The West Yorkshire Combined Authority Investment Committee is being asked to back 10 new schemes at a value of over £383m through its Local Growth Fund and West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund programme. Among the schemes are the £764...

New powers give councils oversight over town planning regulations

05.06.18: Councils will receive new powers to help them deliver the homes that their communities need under proposed regulations. Under the new rules, published by housing minister Dominic Raab, councils will be able to seek government approval to launch...

Kensington council set to spend £3.5m replacing Grenfell-style fire safety doors

31.05.18:  A total of 4,000 fire doors in all social housing across the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea – where the Grenfell Tower tragedy took place last year – will be replaced by the council, costing £3.5m in total. ...

Tory leaders worry £2bn housing pledge not enough

29.05.18: The government will not deliver enough low-cost rented homes, Tory council leaders have warned. In a poll conducted for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), 71% of Conservative councillors surveyed expressed concerns that the government’...

Local communities could be ignored in building of 165,000 homes

25.05.18: Almost 165,000 new homes could be built without the scrutiny of the local community, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned. The LGA is urging the government to scrap its planned changes to the National Planning Policy Framework, whi...