The 50 Shades of Planning Festive Christmas Quiz artwork
50 Shades of Planning

The 50 Shades of Planning Festive Christmas Quiz

  • E10
  • 48:18
  • December 13th 2019

Full of festive cheer (and sherry), Sam Stafford quizzes Greg Dickson, Paul Smith, David Diggle, Andrew Jalali, Vicky Payne and Tom Whitehead on some of the stories that have caught the eye in 2019. Expect an attempt at humour at the start, an appearance from a very special guest at the end and some bad cracker jokes in between...

For those interested in the topics that are discussed there is some reading here:

January

Mr Brokenshire’s big intervention stick.

http://samuelstafford.blogspot.com/2018/08/mr-brokenshires-big-intervention-stick.html

February

Portsmouth council plans to reclaim land from sea for homes.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-47142979

March

The latest act in the GMSF play.

http://samuelstafford.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-latest-installment-in-long-running.html

MHCLG’s resourcing and skills survey.

https://local.gov.uk/pas/pas-topics/monitoring/survey-planning-departments-2019

April

In memory of the Englishman who kept a shark on his roof.

https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-uk/in-memory-of-the-englishman-who-kept-a-shark-on-his-roof/amp

May

The National Audit Office’s investigation into the government’s land disposal strategy and programmes.

https://www.nao.org.uk/report/investigation-into-the-governments-land-disposal-strategy/

 June

 Juries for plan-making.

https://landforthemany.uk/

July

Record temperatures across Europe.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-49108847

August

The Towns Fund.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/conservatives-general-election-marginals-public-funding-money-a9201141.html

September

Robert Jenrick likes tree-lined streets.

https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/housing-secretary-launches-national-design-guide-to-end-ugly-development/10044606.article

October

The CPRE likes Green Belt.

https://www.housingtoday.co.uk/comment/paradise-lost-cpre-and-the-state-of-the-green-belt/5102352.article

November

Government confirms fracking moratorium and drops proposed permitted development rights.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/843801/Government_Response_to_the_shale_PDR_Consultation.pdf

December

How does your garden grow?

https://lichfields.uk/media/5638/how-does-your-garden-grow_a-stock-take-on-planning-for-the-governments-garden-communities-programme.pdf

50 Shades of Planning

Sam Stafford started posting on the 50 Shades of Planning blog in 2012 and in 2019 turned it into a podcast. 50 Shades of Planning is about 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 is 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. If you would like to feature on 'Hitting The High Notes', or know somebody that would make a great guest, please email [email protected].

If you have listened to Episode 45 of the 50 Shades of Planning Podcast 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: http://samuelstafford.blogspot.com/2021/07/50-shades-of-planning-t-shirts.html

Sam is on Bluesky (@samuelstafford.bsky.social) and Instagram (@samuel__stafford), and his blogs can be found here: http://samuelstafford.blogspot.com.

As with the 50 Shades Blog, the 50 Shades Podcast is a platform for Sam's personal opinions, which may or may not represent the opinions of his past, present or future employers.

50 Shades of Planning is produced in association with Cavendish (www.cavendishconsulting.com).

The image of the Piece Hall is used with the kind permission Ellis Robinson (I: @ellisjrobinson) and has been turned into the 50 Shades logo by Vicky Payne (I: @_.vicky_payne._).

Why Fifty Shades? Well, planning is not a black and white endeavour. There are at least fifty shades in between...

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