Discretion Advised

Discretion Advised

Author: Samuel Stafford December 6, 2025 Duration: 1:00:19

Sam Stafford was in Manchester recently and took the opportunity to catch up with old friend of the podcast Charlotte Leach and new friends of the podcast Andrew Johnston and Lisa Tye.

Over the course of an hour so they chatted about a few of the hot topics exercising the planning profession at minute. They talked about ‘the next phase of planning reform’ as set out in a written ministerial statement issued by the Secretary of State last month. That takes in the "unleashing" of development around railway stations; a requirement upon local authorities to notify the Secretary of State where they intend to refuse an application for 150 or more homes; and streamlining statutory consultees.

They talked about AI and it’s growing influence on the planning system, and they talked about Section 106 Agreements. They also talked about a topic that has featured regularly on the podcast during 2025, national development management policies, which caused Sam to alight his soap box towards the end of the episode. Listen out too for some exciting mug-related news.

Some accompanying reading.

Next phase of planning reform

Housebuilding around train stations will be given default “yes”

Reforms to the statutory consultee system

Announcements

AI-powered nimbyism could grind UK planning system to a halt, experts warn

AI Will Add To, Rather Than Reduce, Planning Delays Unless We Do Something About It

Simplifying & Standardising Section 106 Agreement Processes: Proposals for Reform

On NDMPs

Some accompanying listening.

Make It Up As You Go Along – Liam Gallagher & John Squire

Any other business.

Sam is on Bluesky and Instagram. His blog contains a link to his newsletter.


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
Doing Someone's Bidding [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:06
"We appreciate that these funds bring challenges to local councils and we want to ensure there are fewer competitions in the future and more consolidated opportunities to access government funding." So said former Secret…
A Fairway to Solve the Housing Crisis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:00
This episode explores two crises, one of which is a very public one and the other a more private one. There is a housing crisis. Millions of people live in unaffordable, insecure or unsuitable homes; young people are liv…
Hitting the High Notes - Paul Barnard [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:45
Hitting The High Notes is town planning’s equivalent of Desert Island Discs. In these episodes Sam Stafford chats to preeminent figures in the planning and property sectors about the six planning permissions or projects…
Our Friends in the North - Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:22
This is the second of two 50 Shades episodes that Stephen Gleave has put together. Stephen is an urban designer and town planner and has been based in the North West of England for nearly 30 years. Stephen was invited to…
Our Friends in the North - Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:53
For both this episode and the next one Sam Stafford hands over the 50 Shades reins to Stephen Gleave. Stephen is an urban designer and town planner and has been based in the North West of England for nearly 30 years. Ste…
Where Are We Now? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:12
'Where are we now?' asks Sam Stafford in this episode not in the manner of an exasperated child in the back of a hot car staring out at a traffic jam on the M5, but in the manner of an exasperated planning professional c…
Aging Well In Place [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:44
Hidden in the conclusions of the December 2020 Household Resilience Study (a Covid-specific follow-up to the English Housing Survey) was the striking statistic that 39% of households are under-occupied in that they have…
The Bin Lorry Effect [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:52
‘Well-intentioned highways department rules and guidance have had a devastating effect on new housing developments over the past 80 years. Many have led to roads not streets, units not homes, and ‘could-be-anywhere’ hous…
A Conversation with Clive Betts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:53
Death, taxes and reform are the three certainties that accompany planners along life’s endless cycleway. Insofar as the latter is concerned, this is one of the more turbulent periods. White Papers come and White Papers g…
Some Are More Equal Than Others [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:42
What is town planning for? The Royal Town Planning Institute champions the ‘power of planning in creating prosperous places and vibrant communities’. The Town & Country Planning Association ‘works to challenge, inspire a…