Hertfordshire County Council are responsible for planning for waste, minerals (mostly sand and gravel quarries) and for services they provide like schools, libraries and roads. However they are working on a joint strategic plan for South West Hertfordshire together with: Dacorum Borough Council St Albans City and District Council Three Rivers District Council Watford Borough Council Hertsmere Borough Council The Joint Strategic Plan (JSP) will provide a long-term blueprint for the area to 2050. It will be able to consider and address issues that cross council boundaries and set out a strategic vision for the area. It will also help guide future plans and strategies by setting out high level policies on topics such as climate change, infrastructure, environmental protection, employment and housing. An interactive map and dashboard, has been published to help understand the area and its social, economic and environmental characteristics.  All the authorities have now endorsed the [...]

The change of Government has sparked a wave of developments in local and national planning. Read our Q3 News update to learn more: National Planning On the National Planning scene the new Government launched a revised draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), including the introduction of Grey Belt land and a new task force to accelerate stalled housing sites. The consultation closed on 24 September and the final updated document is expected before the end of the year. A Written Ministerial Statement : Building the homes we need was made on 30 July 2024. A further consultation Brownfield Passport: Making the Most of Urban Land invites views on further action that could be taken through the planning system to support the development of brownfield land in urban areas. Local Plan Update Central Bedfordshire Local Plan Central Bedfordshire are progressing a Full Local Plan Review in accordance with the revised Local [...]

Central Bedfordshire are progressing a Full Local Plan Review in accordance with the revised Local Development Scheme (LDS)  under the new legislation.  The LDS sets out the high-level timeframe for the development of an updated Local Plan. The Local Plan Engagement Strategy has now been finalised.  The Council recently undertook a consultation which included a survey form and a map-based questions opportunity.  This closed for responses on 23 September 2024 with the exception of the Youth Survey which is open until 8 November 2024.   A call for Brownfield sites only is expected to commence on 4th November. If this does not yield enough land to meet potential housing needs then they expect to launch a full Call for Sites on 9th December. The Call for Sites process will conclude at the end of January 2025. Following this the Local Plan is expected to progress with the following key milestones: [...]

Planning in Buckinghamshire offers great opportunities due to its location with Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east and Hertfordshire to the east, together with its position in the Oxford to Cambridge (OxCam) Arc. Buckinghamshire is one of the home counties with towns such as High Wycombe, Amersham, Chesham and the Chalfonts in the east and southeast of the county forming some of the most densely populated parts of the county. Development in this region is restricted by the Metropolitan Green Belt and the Chilterns AONB. Other large settlements include the county town of Aylesbury, Marlow in the south near the Thames and Princes Risborough in the west near Oxford. The areas around the old county town of Buckingham and near Olney in the northeast, are much less populous. The largest town is Milton Keynes [...]

On 3 March 2017, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority was established as a Mayoral Combined Authority for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area. The Combined Authority works with the local councils, the Business Board (Local Enterprise Partnership), local public services, Government departments and agencies, universities and businesses to grow the local and national economy. Local government is divided between Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council, which is a separate unitary authority. Under the county council, there are five district councils, Cambridge City Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, Huntingdonshire District Council and Fenland District Council. The current Strategic Planning position in Cambridgeshire is as follows: Peterborough City Council The Peterborough Local Plan was adopted on 24 July 2019. This is a statutory Local Plan which sets out the overall approach to development in Peterborough to 2036 and beyond. The Council have now commenced a Local Plan Review 2023-44 to replace the current Local Plan.  The Council consulted [...]

During the first half of 2024 there were interesting local and national planning updates and developments and there are more to come following the change of government.  Read our Q2 News update to learn more: National Planning On the National Planning scene the new Government have announced that Planning is at the heart of their Agenda and a Planning and Infrastructure Bill was included in the Kings Speech.  Further expected changes include a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), further resourcing for planning departments, review of Green Belt land and a new task force to accelerate stalled housing sites. The 10% Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) regulations came into full effect on 2 April 2024. However, there are exemptions for certain types of development. From 25 April 2024, changes to enforcement and lawful development certificate (LDC) appeals came into effect as a result of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act [...]