Will planning changes make a difference?

Revised planning rules are intended to speed up the system, but Ian Lamond explains why he thinks it will not make much difference… When it comes to planning, conflict is inevitable and to try and remove conflict from the process …

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COMMENT

Planning changes with the Localism Bill

Sarah-Jane Williams, a planning solicitor with regional firm Stephens Scown LLP considers the significance of the new Localism Act on the planning system. The new Localism Act is a major part of the Government’s agenda to hand more decision-making powers …

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COMMENT

Localism Act receives Royal Assent

The Government’s plan to give local communities more of a say about planning and development passed into law this week when the Localism Act received Royal Assent. The Act is part of the Coalition’s flagship policy to shift power away …

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COMMENT

Planning Solicitor on Localism

Do Government plans to streamline the planning process sound the death knell for localism, asks planning solicitor Peter Edwards… When the Government published its flagship Localism Bill in December last year it was presented as a key plank of the decentralisation …

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COMMENT

Warning over planning breaches following landmark ruling

A new landmark ruling by the Supreme Court over planning breaches should act as a serious warning to landowners and developers in the Westcountry, according to one regional law firm. Peter Edwards, a solicitor with Truro-based Stephens Scown, says the …

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COMMENT

Planning Enforcement Against Unauthorised Dwellings

Supreme Court overturns Court of Appeal decision in Beesley The 2010 cases of Fidler and Beesley involving enforcement against unauthorised dwellings in the countryside were widely reported and made headline news in the national press.  So significant was the impact …

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COMMENT

Planning and development implications following the 2011 budget statement

The 2011 Budget Statement proposes various changes to the planning system to stimulate economic growth and sustainable development.  George Osborne’s foreword to The Plan for Growth states that the country needs ‘to step up a gear’ and ‘become less burdened …

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COMMENT

Planning to Win under Localism

The Localism Bill was introduced to the House of Commons on 13th December 2010. At the Second Reading Eric Pickles, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, stated that “The Bill will reverse the centralist creep of decades …

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COMMENT