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More social housing
The King’s Speech included proposed legislation to increase investment in social housing.
The Social Housing Bill was introduced into the House of Lords on 14th May. It is to protect much-needed social housing stock, give affordable housing providers the clarity and confidence they need to build more social homes, and better protect tenants.
The Minister Mathew Pennycook MP wrote to Council Leaders to explain the purpose of the Bill as here.
The progress in Parliament of the Bill can be seen here.
Planning Fees consultation response
We’ve responded to the government’s consultation on planning application fees.
While the proposal to set a National Default Fee Schedule at 90% of estimated costs is a step in the right direction, we argue that it’s too blunt an instrument. London’s planning costs are significantly higher than the national average — due to heritage requirements, high-density development complexity, and staffing costs — yet the consultation lacks transparency about how the funding shortfall is distributed across local planning authorities (LPAs). For each category there should be a [more…]
The Queen Elizabeth II Garden
On the Royal Parks website there is an article about the creation of a new garden in The Regent’s Park to commemorate the life of Queen Elizabeth II.
“The garden has transformed disused plant nursery into a beautiful tranquil two-acre garden, with significant benefits to nature. Where disused glasshouses once stood, a beautiful new garden now takes its place within one of London’s finest landscapes.”
Is architecture in crisis?
Martyn Evans in an article published in Building Design writes “There is a growing sense among younger architects that the profession they trained so hard to join may not offer a viable long-term career. Institutions like RIBA must step forward to challenge the norms that have led us here”.
He points out that architects are often asked to redraw, rework and rethink schemes multiple times as funding assumptions by developers shift or costs rise. However, fees rarely stay at the same level as the original job.
Planning enforcement
The Government has issued additional Planning Practice Guidance on responding to suspected breaches of planning control including unauthorised encampments and failure to build out approved developments.
It explains what options are available to local planning authorities to tackle them, including stop notices.
What’s happening in the Old Kent Road?
The Old Kent Road was designated by the Mayor in 2016 as an Opportunity Area.
It is the subject of two videos by Urban Design Learning which provides support to local authorities on design and examines development schemes.
In one video, Colin Wilson introduces Southwark Council’s Old Kent Road Action Plan. In another video he explains the issues in regeneration of an area with existing clusters of small businesses, some thriving, and the council’s ambition to add employment as well as housing.
Ealing flats left empty
Three hundred luxury flats in the Friary Park development in Acton remain unoccupied. Sean Fletcher, a local resident, criticises in his latest video (below) the marketing of these flats to overseas investors rather than local families. He highlights the contrast with the 12,000 Ealing households in need of social housing. Multiple assessments deemed the Friary Park development “not viable” but Ealing Council’s planning committee approved plans.
The development was initially approved to include 45% affordable housing but subsequent applications expanded the number of flats and reduced commitment to affordable [more…]
Planning Committee Reforms: Stop the Attack on Local Democracy!
The London Forum has issued a scathing response to the Government’s recent consultation on Planning Committee reforms.
The proposals were branded as authoritarian and anti-democratic
Despite claims that these changes will focus committees on complex cases, the draft regulations actually prevent many significant, contentious applications from ever being seen by elected members.
Under the new “Schedule 1” and “Schedule 2” system, the overriding assumption is that almost all applications will be decided by officers. The Forum is particularly concerned that conservation areas have been excluded from special consideration, and that [more…]
Using AI in your Civic Society – Meeting Report & Videos
We held a lively interactive meeting on the subject of Artificial Intelligence on 30th April, which was recorded. Our first speaker, Richard Farthing, covered the background and some relevant uses, not only of well-known ‘chatbots’ such as ChatGPT, but also applications that use AI in the background, and real-world examples, particularly around planning. The second half was a full-on interactive session led by John Myers, who tested out several audience questions on live AI services, ranging from planning to creating images.
We naturally chose AI – in the [more…]
Making Social Rent Homes viable
A paper setting out a framework for delivering affordable housing, with a specific focus on the Social Rent has been published by Homes for People We Need, an informal collective of organisations, experts and practitioners in the housing sector.
It aligns with broader discussions advocating for increased housing development across all tenures, recognising the urgency of addressing the housing crisis through structured, large-scale investment.
Low rental income makes substantial public subsidy unavoidable. Current spending on temporary accommodation of over £2.8 billion annually could be redirected into structured funding models, [more…]
Noise Action Week 11th to 15th May 2026
Excessive noise is linked to serious health impacts including hearing loss, stress, sleep disturbance, heart disease, strokes and dementia, affecting millions of people nationwide.
The NoiseActionWeek website invites people to join their 2026 campaign focusing on tackling neighbourhood noise.
The UK Noise Association website has helpful links, tips, case notes, briefings and noise monitoring apps.
See the latest edition of The Bottom Rung for details on noise complaints and criticism of the DfT Strategy for Integrated Transport.
Improving neighbourhoods
The Communities Secretary Steve Reed has given a speech about a new Neighbourhood Guarantee.
He said “In total, £6 bn is being given to new Neighbourhood Boards, made up of local people, to spend on whatever the local community believes it needs. Over the coming weeks I will outline a radical new approach to community power, and how we will help people take back control over the decisions that affect their family, their community and their hometown.”
The speech explains the problems that are to be solved.