Samantha Eckford

A local authority has said it will oppose the new draft London Plan over concerns about its proposal to build over 5,000 new homes on a stretch of green belt land in the area.

A planning inspector has overturned a council’s refusal against the advice of its officers of a volume housebuilder’s plan for 200 homes on green belt land on the edge of a "historic town" after finding that the project did not impact on the settlement's historic character and therefore should be considered grey belt.

A city council has delayed a consultation on the final version of its draft local plan - which had proposed meeting just over half of its local housing need - and is seeking an extension from the government to allow it to submit its strategy after the 31 December deadline.

The government has published new guidance on delivering affordable housing through section 106 affordable housing developer contributions, which emphasises the importance of parties’ “open, transparent communication and collaboration” throughout the planning process.

Members of a city council’s planning committee have refused permission for a 2,000-home scheme on green belt land against the advice of the authority’s planning officers on the grounds that it would be "inappropriate" development.

Nine in ten local authority planning departments are operating at a staffing level below full capacity, ten percentage points more than last year, with a total national shortfall of 2,660 planners, a new report by a housebuilding industry body has found.

An inspector has ruled that an Oxfordshire council’s draft local plan can be examined under the 2023 version of the National Planning Policy Framework’s (NPPF) - which has now twice been superseded - after finding that its proposed housing requirement was justified in including unmet need from a neighbouring city authority.

A county council that earlier this year launched a legal challenge against the government’s plans for local government reorganisation has said today’s decision to withdraw plans for change in its area will save local taxpayers “millions”.

A Conservative-led authority that earlier this year scrapped its emerging local plan so it could redirect its plan-working to focus on the new local government reorganisation (LGR) geography has slammed Whitehall’s approach to the issue as “one costly, chaotic car crash” and pledged to push for compensation for the resources spent on the programme.

The government has dramatically announced a review and pause of its advanced plans for local government reorganisation. We highlight commentators' views on what this is likely to mean for planning and for local authorities.