Hitting the High Notes - Simon Ricketts

Hitting the High Notes - Simon Ricketts

Author: Samuel Stafford February 3, 2024 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 six planning permissions or projects that helped to shape them as professionals.

And, so that Listeners can get to know people a little better personally, for every project or stage of their career Sam also asks his guests for a piece of music that reminds them of that period. Think of it as town planning’s equivalent of Desert Island Discs.

Unlike Desert Island Discs you will not hear any of that music during the episode because using commercially-licensed music without the copyright holders permission or a very expensive PRS licensing agreement could land Sam in hot water, so, when you have finished listening, you will have to make do with You Tube videos and a Spotify playlist, links to which you will find below.

Sam's guest for this episode of Hitting The High Notes is self-proclaimed ubiquitous planning lawyer and 50 Shades stalwart Simon Ricketts, who was the number one-ranked planning solicitor in last years’ Planning Magazine law survey. 

Their conversation was recorded at Soho Radio Studios in London back in May last year and takes in Simon's full and fascinating career. They talk about what makes a good client, a good consultant and a good project team; about how scratching a creative itch can lend one towards thought leadership; and about how to maintain an indie ethos whilst climbing the corporate ladder.

Some accompanying listening.

Simon’s Spotify Playlist

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1W2IbJrD7lsLEfQ8XLxUwQ?si=bd98cfd052fb4098

A New England - Kirsty MacColl

https://youtu.be/Vnzpg5GgQCo?si=n-78J1RCuwRo9wmP

Missing - Everything But The Girl

https://youtu.be/U56Ns66Qrb8?si=Ulk_jTwlBGKb0E-H

Beat Surrender - The Jam

https://youtu.be/MHP0UxBuuGQ?si=1UBTSuFCFE1E9WSS

Fight Test – The Flaming Lips

https://youtu.be/fye1XtXQn9s?si=1SDPjiRSRmmoVvhx

Boredom – Buzzcocks

https://youtu.be/QoYiQ8Qsozk?si=8jp64JKmEroPa8KG

I Feel the Earth Move - Carole King

https://youtu.be/6913KnbMpHM?si=pqBQiX_HP2p0L8cC

Episode 32: Legal Eagles

https://pod.co/50-shades-of-planning/legal-eagles

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: 100

50 Shades of Planning
Podcast Episodes
An Esoteric Discussion about the Planning System [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:38
Sam Stafford revisits the Levelling Up & Regeneration Bill with regular 50 Shades contributors Claire Petricca-Riding, Vicky Payne and Paul Smith. Their conversation explores what the Bill is and is not, what it may and…
Housing People [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:00
Housing, 50 Shades listeners, will know, is slap bang in the middle of the intersection between planning and politics and nothing offers both the illustration and impact of this than affordable housing. Research commissi…
A Gentle Conversation about Density [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:16
Where should we build 300,000 new homes every year? We could build tall buildings, which can have transformative effects on city centres and their skylines, but might not necessarily match delivery with need. Or we could…
LURB [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:23
50 Shades listeners are a perceptive bunch and will have a spotted that the Levelling Up & Regeneration Bill (LURB) was introduced to Parliament on 11 May. Whilst the word planning does not appear on the front of the bil…
Hitting the High Notes - Anna Rose [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:32
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…
Place, Politics and the Piece Hall [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:36:41
When Sam Stafford saw that Create Streets and Onward were bringing their 'Restitch' conference to Halifax's Piece Hall, his favourite building, he could not have been more excited. He was though even more excited when th…
Leading From The Front [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:24
‘Is there a local authority staffing crisis', Sam Stafford asked Catriona Riddell, Peter Geraghty and Paul Brocklehurst in Episode 60. That episode, regular listeners might recall, was informed by a 'Call for Evidence' a…
Hitting the High Notes - Pete Swift [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:38
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…

«1...678910