Spring Statement: Planning takes lead role in quest for growth26/03/2025 Against a backdrop of falling growth forecasts, chancellor Rachel Reeves doubled down on the importance of planning reforms and the ‘Get Britain Building’ again agenda in her Spring Statement today. |
NPPF: Government's new 'vision-led' planning becomes reality19/12/2024 The Government's revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is effective immediately. |
Increased housebuilding targets for councils12/12/2024 Areas with the highest unaffordability for housing and greatest potential for growth will be handed increased housebuilding targets under the Government’s planning overhaul. |
New legal challenge to national networks policy statement06/12/2024 Campaigners have taken the new Government to court over its planning policy for strategic networks, which they say continues a presumption in favour of road expansion. |
Exclusive: Nick Harris - ‘We are trying to do too much with the planning system’17/10/2024 National Highways chief executive Nick Harris talked to Highways about the potential reforms that could support better infrastructure delivery. |
Labour Government will 'get Britain building'17/07/2024 The Labour Government will deliver its aim of building 1.5 million houses by ‘modernising planning committees.’ |
Legal challenges have cost us 'hundreds of millions', National Highways says29/05/2024 A top National Highways official has expressed frustration over legal challenges to planning approvals for major road enhancements, which he said had caused delays and cost increases running into hundreds of millions of pounds. |
Autumn Statement: Planning reforms to provide new 'premium services'22/11/2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt unveiled planning reforms at both national and local levels in the Autumn Statement, with plans to let councils recover the full cost of planning applications, provided they meet prompt deadlines. |
Government releases planning reform 'action plan'23/02/2023 The Government has published an Action Plan setting out reforms to the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) regime, including replacing the environmental assessment processes with new Environmental Outcomes Reports. |
DfT delays another DCO decision10/01/2023 The transport secretary has postponed the planning decision on another of National Highways’ major schemes 'to allow for further consultation on a number of outstanding issues'. |
Two years on, National Highways puts in LTC planning bid02/11/2022 National Highways has submitted a new planning application for the £8bn Lower Thames Crossing project – two years after it had to withdraw its first application. |
A66 planning application goes forward19/07/2022 The Planning Inspectorate has accepted National Highways' planning application for the £1bn A66 Northern Trans-Pennine project for consideration, despite concerns about the quality of its consultation. |
Shapps backs M25 Junction 10 revamp13/05/2022 Grant Shapps has given the formal go-ahead a major upgrade to the M25 interchange with the A3 at Junction 10, Wisley. |
Borough defeats parish in battle over bridge12/01/2022 Tewkesbury Borough Council has defeated one of its own local parish councils in a court battle over the development of a road bridge over the railway in Ashchurch and Northway. |
Lockdown planning reforms could become permanent06/09/2021 Temporary measures that allowed high streets to make more use of pedestrian areas during the pandemic could be made permanent following a government consultation. |
M25 scheme latest to hit planning trouble12/01/2021 The planning approval process for improvements to Junction 10 of the M25 has slipped again after ministers said they needed more time. |
Planning reforms raise highway funding fears06/08/2020 Changes to developer contributions could threaten funding streams for council highways and other infrastructure, national and local politicians have warned. |
Quarter of councils still behind on Local Plans24/01/2019 A quarter of local authorities have yet to submit a Local Plan six years after being required to act, new research has revealed. |
2019 Street Design Awards launched07/12/2018 The Street Design Awards, celebrating innovation and best practice in street design schemes across the UK, have been relaunched by Local Government News magazine. |
Transport and planning groups call for 'maximum parking standards'16/07/2018 A major alliance of transport and planning groups has called for the Government to allow councils to set maximum parking standards for their areas under potential changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), in order to combat urban sprawl and congestion. |
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