http://www.weaplanning.co.uk/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.weaplanning.co.uk en-us Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:26:37 +0100 Rocketspark http://www.weaplanning.co.uk/blog/post/26060/january-2026-highlights/ Belated Happy new year from the team here at WEA Planning!Planning news:MCLHG published the draft Design and Placemaking Planning Practice Guidance for consultation. The PPG contains detailed guidance on the qualitative elements of planning applications and inclusive design that many considered had been left out of the draft NPPF. The Draft DPPPG will replace and consolidate four documents: National design guide; Design process and tools planning practice guidance; National Model Design Code par... Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.weaplanning.co.uk/blog/#post26060 http://www.weaplanning.co.uk/blog/post/25866/december-2025-highlights/ Policy, Policy, Policy. This is the month when govt sensibly decides to bombard our inboxes with lots to read.  In turn, we think it is best to focus on the changes that will lead us into 2026. This December sees another update for the NPPF! The Draft NPPF was published on 16th December 2025, with consultation open until 10th March 2026.The Draft NPPF incorporates a lot of changes and brings together pieces from the wider planning reform. No tracked changes this time. The Government's ... Wed, 31 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.weaplanning.co.uk/blog/#post25866 http://www.weaplanning.co.uk/blog/post/25827/november-2025-highlights/ November was a busy month for updates as part of the planning reform, with signs of more updates to come, including a new draft NPPF expected to land in December.Planning news:The Autumn budget contained some news for good news for the planning system including increased funding for recruitment, The Planning and Infrastructure Bill left the House of Lords and amendment stage and started the route to Royal Assent and will shortly become law. One of the most contentious parts was the nature r... Wed, 10 Dec 2025 10:11:28 +0000 http://www.weaplanning.co.uk/blog/#post25827 http://www.weaplanning.co.uk/blog/post/25621/october-2025-highlights/ This month saw a number of new reports and updates published as part of the challenge to reach the targeted 1.5million homes.Planning news:A couple of Green Belt updates this month with the directive from Matthew Pennycook that Planning Inspectors can recommend LPAs to carry out Green Belt reviews to ensure Local Plan soundness.Additionally statistics have been released for the amount of Green Belt lost in the past year. Data shows that Green Belt across England has been reduced by 0.04% Oct ’... Thu, 30 Oct 2025 15:15:27 +0000 http://www.weaplanning.co.uk/blog/#post25621 http://www.weaplanning.co.uk/blog/post/25377/september-2025-highlights/ Planning news:200 young planners descended on London for the 2025 Young Planners Conference 5-6th September – read our top takeaways from the conference.Labour appoints new housing secretary Steve Reed, MP for Streatham and Croydon North. He has made a stir announcing his new catch phrase at the Labour Conference to drive building across Britain. Reed has also published a Pride in Place Strategy to invest in communities across the country.RTPI launched their rebrand 8th September, the new look... Wed, 01 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.weaplanning.co.uk/blog/#post25377 http://www.weaplanning.co.uk/blog/post/25222/rtpi-young-planners-conference/ Emily had the pleasure of both attending and speaking at the Young Planners Conference 2025, hosted by the RTPI London Young Planners at London South Bank University.The theme for this year’s conference was ‘Planning for Good Health’, providing a wide range of topics to explore within town planning.... Thu, 18 Sep 2025 14:02:57 +0100 http://www.weaplanning.co.uk/blog/#post25222 http://www.weaplanning.co.uk/blog/post/25062/back-to-school-summer-highlights/ As schools re-open and we settle back into routine (save for the 1 week tube strike), below is a rundown of the planning sector news and updates from the summer months.Planning news:Plans for the partial pedestrianisation and public realm improvements for Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus and Haymarket from City of Westminster and the Crown Estate were launched and public consultation began.English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill had its first reading in the House of Commons. The Bill o... Tue, 02 Sep 2025 13:50:14 +0100 http://www.weaplanning.co.uk/blog/#post25062 http://www.weaplanning.co.uk/blog/post/25060/updates-to-part-1-written-representations-for-appeals/ MHCLG and the Planning Inspectorate have announced changes to the Part 1 Written Representations process for appeals. The change is expected to come into effect in late 2025.The Part 1 Written Representations process was introduced in 2009. Currently, the part 1 process is only used in appeals for householder and minor commercial applications.MHCLG and the Planning Inspectorate have announced that this will expand to include planning permission, reserved matters, conditions, and prior notif... Tue, 02 Sep 2025 13:31:54 +0100 http://www.weaplanning.co.uk/blog/#post25060 http://www.weaplanning.co.uk/blog/post/25061/june-2025-highlights/ Planning news:Spending Review - £39billion towards affordable housing scheme and boosts for transport and nuclear energy infrastructure, but no more funding for Neighbourhood Plans. Is there still a place for Neighbourhood Plans in development management?   The Planning and Infrastructure Bill has passed the House of Commons and is now at the committee stage of the House of Lords.Oxford Street pedestrianisation looks set for go ahead following consultation, which could remove vehicles... Tue, 01 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.weaplanning.co.uk/blog/#post25061 http://www.weaplanning.co.uk/blog/post/24471/may-2025-highlights/ May has been a whirlwind for planning news; with updates on planning reform, amendments to permitted development rights, consultation on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, and some landmark cases in London and across the country. We will give a quick overview of the planning goings on in May.Planning news:Amendments are scheduled to the GPDO (2015) for renewable energy, making it easier to install EV chargers, Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHPs) and wind turbines. These amendments will take effect ... Wed, 28 May 2025 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.weaplanning.co.uk/blog/#post24471