The fast-paced, ever-changing, rock and roll world of town and country planning has been especially fast-paced, ever-changing and rock and roll of late.
How then to try to catch up? Sam Stafford thought that the best way of doing so was to reprise the ‘Labour of Love’ episode that he published back in August of last year. Here then you will hear elements of nine conversations recorded online between friends of the podcast old and new about nine themes of the Government’s crystalising reform agenda.
Catriona Riddell, Andrew Taylor, Jane Meek and Alex Coley talk about strategic planning, devolution and local government reorganisation (06.54);
Greg Dickson, John Sayer, Rebecca Clutton and Anthony Lee talk about CPO, land value capture and benchmark land value (17.42);
Claire Petricca-Riding, Gilian MacInnes, Sarah McLaughlin and Robbie Owen talk about infrastructure planning (28.12);
Andrew, Shelly Rouse, Mike Kiely and Adele Morris talk about planning committees (36.26);
Claire, Hana Loftus, Nina Pindham and Neil Beamsley talk about development and nature recovery (46.11);
Andrew, Annie Gingell, Hana and Sarah Young talk about Grey Belt (54.22);
Andrew and Paul Smith talk about statutory consultees (01.02.42);
Ben Castell, Katie Wray, Vicky Payne and Hana talk about design and placemaking (01.13.21); and
Hashi Mohamed, Kathryn Ventham and Simon Mirams talk about the flood risk sequential test (01.24.45).
The full conversations will appear on the 50 Shades YouTube channel in due course and Sam will share the respective links on the 50 Shades Bluesky, LinkedIn and TikTok channels when they are published.
Some accompanying reading.
JEKC
Context
'Biggest building boom' in a generation through planning reforms
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
The Planning & Infrastructure Bill: An Overview
Devolution
Devolving local growth: how do the emerging geographies shape up?
CPO / LVC / BLV
Compulsory purchase process: guidance (October 2024 update)
Law Commission seeks views on compulsory purchase laws
Compulsory Purchase Process and Compensation Reforms
How far can land value capture be pushed?
Infrastructure
Growth drives major infrastructure and housing planning reform proposals
Planning Committees
Planning Reform Working Paper: Planning Committees
On modernising planning committees
Modernising Planning Committees National Survey 2025
Nature Restoration
Planning Reform Working Paper: Development and Nature Recovery
Grey Belt
Colouring In The Grey Belt: The PPG
Grey belt policy having only a marginal impact at best
Stat Cons
Bureaucratic burden lifted to speed up building in growth agenda
Reform of the Statutory Consultee System
Flood Risk Sequential Test
More Afloat – New NPPF and the Sequential Test
Enhancing flood and coastal erosion risk digital services with the latest data and mapping
Some accompanying listening.
50 Shades T-Shirts!
If you have listened to Episode 45 of the 50 Shades of Planning you will have heard Clive Betts say that...
'In the Netherlands planning is seen as part of the solution. In the UK, too often, planning is seen as part of the problem'.
Sam said in reply that that would look good on a t-shirt and it does. Further details can be found here.
Any other business.
Sam is on Bluesky (@samuelstafford.bsky.social) and Instagram (@samuel__stafford). His blog contains a link to his newsletter.
50 Shades of Planning
50 Shades of Planning is Sam Stafford’s attempt to explore the foibles of the English planning system and it's aim is to cover the breadth of the sector both in terms of topics of conversation and in terms of guests with different experiences and perspectives.
50 Shades episodes include 'Hitting The High Notes', which are a series of conversations with leading planning and property figures. The conversations take in the six milestone planning permissions or projects within a contributor’s career and for every project guests are invited to choose a piece of music that they were listening to at that time. Think Desert Island Discs, but for planners.
Sam is on Bluesky (@samuelstafford.bsky.social) and Instagram (@samuel__stafford), and his blogs can be found here: http://samuelstafford.blogspot.com (from where you can also sign up for his newsletter).
The 50 Shades platforms are expressions of Sam's personal opinions, which may or may not represent the opinions of his past, present or future employers.
Why Fifty Shades? Well, planning is not a black and white endeavour. There are at least fifty shades in between....
