The Greater London Authority has released draft London Plan Guidance aimed at boosting housing delivery in response to challenging economic conditions and a slowdown in construction across the capital. The measures, published jointly by the Government and Mayor in October 2025, focus on improving viability, offering flexibility and accelerating the delivery of new homes, particularly affordable housing. The consultation runs until 22 January 2026. A major part of the consulta

The Government has launched its consultation on reforms to the statutory consultee system and there are two headline changes that could significantly shift the planning landscape. First, ministers are proposing to remove statutory consultee status from several bodies whose current roles are considered too narrow, duplicative, or better handled through guidance rather than formal consultation. This could include organisations such as Sport England, The Gardens Trust and Theatr

England is undergoing a transformative review of its planning committees, launched with the “Reform of planning committees: technical consultation” published on 28 May 2025. It builds on proposals found in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, and the consultation, which closes on 23 July 2025 , invites input on three core reforms: delegation, committee size/composition, and mandatory training. National Scheme of Delegation Currently, each council sets its own rules about whi

In May 2025, Defra launched a consultation aimed at improving how the Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirement is applied to minor, medium, and brownfield developments. Introduced under the Environment Act 2021, BNG mandates most developments in England to deliver a 10% net gain in biodiversity. While the policy has been broadly successful for large-scale projects, smaller developers have raised concerns over complexity, cost, and practicalities especially when working on cons

New planning changes announced today will expedite the delivery of thousands more homes nationwide. Councils to be able to buy cheaper land to deliver more homes and drive economic growth. Removal of ‘hope value’ to help councils meet housing targets Supporting the government’s Plan for Change to deliver 1.5 million homes and overhaul the planning system. Thousands more homes will be delivered quicker due to new planning changes announced today, boosting investment in town ce

The UK Government has outlined ambitious reforms to streamline planning processes while enhancing nature recovery efforts, as detailed in the recently published Planning Reform Working Paper: Development and Nature Recovery. Aiming to address the housing crisis and environmental sustainability, the proposals seek to transform how housing and infrastructure projects meet environmental obligations. The paper emphasises a "win-win" strategy: accelerating development to build 1.5

The UK government has announced a significant overhaul of local planning committees to address the housing crisis and stimulate economic growth. The proposed reforms aim to expedite planning decisions, reduce delays, and improve certainty for developers. Key measures include allowing applications compliant with local development plans to bypass planning committees, empowering planning officers with greater decision-making authority, and introducing mandatory training for plan