Capturing the Zeitgeist

Capturing the Zeitgeist

Author: Samuel Stafford March 9, 2024 Duration: 51:47

This episode is a ramblechat that Sam Stafford recorded in London with friends of the podcast Hashi Mohamed, Simon Ricketts, Nicola Gooch and Andrew Taylor during which they reflected on another exciting few weeks in the fast-paced, ever-changing, rock and roll world of town and country planning.

The conversation takes in the back-dating of Section 106 indexation and what that says about local authority finances; the need to consider PPAs, statutory consultees and performance targets in the round; BNG and Sam's debut appearance on Countryfile; the Brownfield Reform Day consultations on a presumption in favour of brownfield development, permitted development rights and the Mayor of London’s call-in powers; and the Competition & Markets Authority's report on the housebuilding industry. All in approximately 45 minutes or so.

Some accompanying reading.

Housebuilding market study final report

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/housebuilding-market-study-final-report

Brownfield Reform Day

http://samuelstafford.blogspot.com/2024/02/brownfield-reform-day.html

Biodiversity Unit Finder Map

https://www.futurehomes.org.uk/biodiversityunitfindermap

Short Term Thinking 

https://simonicity.com/2023/04/14/short-term-thinking/

Can Local Plan Policies Require Developers To Go Beyond National Standards?

https://simonicity.com/2024/02/24/can-local-plan-policies-require-developers-to-go-beyond-national-standards/

Some accompanying listening.

Zeitgeist by Black Sabbath

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3FyNH9v7mU

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: http://samuelstafford.blogspot.com/2021/07/50-shades-of-planning-t-shirts.html


Samuel Stafford hosts 50 Shades of Planning, a podcast that digs into the often perplexing world of the English planning system. Rather than offering dry policy lectures, these conversations embrace the sector's inherent complexities and occasional absurdities. The aim is to provide a wide-ranging view, bringing in diverse voices from across the fields of planning, property, design, and development. You'll hear from practitioners, thinkers, and critics, each sharing their unique experiences and perspectives on how places are shaped. A recurring series within the podcast, titled 'Hitting The High Notes', features in-depth discussions with leading figures, examining pivotal career moments and influential projects. These talks are structured around six key planning milestones, offering a concrete framework for understanding professional journeys and systemic challenges. By weaving together themes from government, business, arts, and social sciences, this podcast reveals how planning sits at a crowded intersection of politics, economics, and community life. Tune in for thoughtful, sometimes surprising, explorations of the forces that decide what gets built, where, and why.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 164

50 Shades of Planning
Podcast Episodes
Efficiency Savings [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:10
In February 2024 Planning published a special report by Joey Gardiner entitled ‘how cost-saving consultants disrupted council planning services’. Cash-strapped councils have been following management consultants’ advice…
Neutral Impact III (and a bit of Green Belt) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:06
When Sam Stafford first covered nutrient neutrality, in February 2021, he described the process of eutrophication as a bit like the podcast itself: a little niche, but very important. When Sam published a second episode…
Love Thy Neighbourhood Plan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:32
What are we to make of neighbourhood planning? Friend of the podcast Ben Castell considers it a “grassroots planning revolution”. Perhaps less favourably it conjures for others images of corduroy and tweed-clad councillo…
Grey Belt [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:21
Sam Stafford was in London recently and took the opportunity to catch up with friends of the podcast Catriona Riddell, Shelly Rouse and Nicola Gooch at Soho Radio Studios. One topic, the hot topic of the past few weeks,…
A Hillside To Die On [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:16
Sam Stafford was in Manchester recently and took the opportunity to catch up with friends of the podcast Greg Dickson and Claire Petricca-Riding. During a conversation recorded at Reform Radio they talked about another e…
Hitting the High Notes - Nick Kilby [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:14
In Hitting the High Notes episodes Sam Stafford chats to preeminent figures in the planning and property sectors about the six planning permissions or projects that helped to shape them as professionals. And, so that Lis…
Banishing Boxland [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:50
The Prime Minister recently announced plans to "turbocharge" development within England's largest towns and cities to mark a Government consultation on strengthening planning policy for brownfield development. Sam Staffo…
Critical Infrastructure [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:10
Building GP surgeries, schools and roads is not just difficult it is so difficult, according to no less of an expert on such matters than the Prime Minister, as to be a reason to not even contemplate growing existing tow…
Hitting the High Notes - Simon Ricketts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:57
This episode is another in the Hitting The High Notes series. If you have not listened to one before the basic proposition is that Sam Stafford chats to preeminent figures in the planning and property sectors about the s…
NPPF 2023 Update - What Next? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:47
At the kind invitation of Landmark Chambers and Town Legal, Sam Stafford was in London this week to contribute to a seminar on the NPPF update, which, eagle-eyed 50 Shades Listeners no doubt spotted, emerged as part of a…