Place, Politics and the Piece Hall

Place, Politics and the Piece Hall

Author: Samuel Stafford June 11, 2022 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 the organisers agreed to let him set up a 'pop-up' recording studio at the back of one of the breakout rooms so as to record conversations with some of the conference's contributors during the day.

This bumper episode then is the accumulation of those recorded conversations and in it you will hear from (broken down into time slots if you are dipping in and out):

2m:35s

Ben Page, Chief Executive Officer, Ipsos (@benatipsos)

16m:05s

Andrew Taylor, Group Planning Director, Countryside (@AndrewJTaylor3) & Pete Gladwell, Group Social Impact & Investment Director, L&G (@petegladwell)

28m:48s

Amy Burbidge, Senior Master Development and Design Manager, Homes England (@AmyBurbidge2); Mike Axon, Managing Director, Vectos: and David Milner, Deputy Director, Create Streets (@djjmilner)

49m:00s

Neil O’Brien, Harborough MP & Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at DLUHC (@NeilDotObrien)

54m:45s

Nicky Chance-Thompson, Chief Executive, The Piece Hall Trust (@NickyChanThomDL)

 01h:07m:00s

Tim Swift, Leader of Calderdale Council (@TimSwift)

01h:23m:10s

Nicholas Boys Smith, Director, Create Streets (@boys_nicholas)

Some accompanying reading

The 'Piece Hall Effect' is bringing millions into Calderdale's economy, new report reveals

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/piece-hall-effect-bringing-millions-calderdales-economy-new-report-reveals-1746319

Some accompanying viewing/listening

Gravity by Embrace, live at The Piece Hall (Sam was there)

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2421918771409236

50 Shades T-Shirts!

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


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
Planning is Brilliant [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:24
A few months ago old friend of the podcast Rebecca Coley, Head of Planning & Development at Trafford Council, messaged Sam Stafford suggesting a 50 Shades episode on “the hidden work of LPAs that slows everything down, e…
A Conversation with Ben Everitt [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:30
The All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Housing Market & Housing Delivery is a cross-party group of MPs and Peers dedicated to improving the UK housing market. It has published a report called ‘Hacking housing: nine su…
The Mortar Bombs of Division [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:02
Sam Stafford had planned more of a ramble-type chat with Pete Swift, Jonathan Easton and Claire Petricca-Riding, but, reflective of the news that has dominated the agenda of late, their conversation, recorded online, foc…
One Staircase or Two? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:34
If you are involved in the delivery of tall buildings, especially in London, where Sadiq Khan has blamed Government dithering for delaying 34,000 homes on major development sites, then the second staircase issue will alr…
Last of the Summer Whine [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:12
Sam Stafford was in London this week and managed to catch up with some of the 50 Shades crew for a conversation about another turbulent few weeks in the fast-paced, ever-changing, rock and roll world of town and country…
Hitting the High Notes - Hashi Mohamed [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:58
This episode is another in the Hitting The High Notes series, which is planning’s equivalent of Desert Island Discs. In these episodes Sam Stafford chats to preeminent figures in the planning and property sectors about t…
Another Conversation with Clive Betts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:09
Long-serving listeners might recall that for episode 45 of the podcast Sam Stafford published a conversation with Clive Betts, MP for Sheffield South East, about the then Housing, Communities & Local Government Committee…
The Power of Plans - Shenzen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:04
This episode is part of an international triumvirate, which has been put together with the help of old friend of the podcast, Ian Wray, and new friend of the podcast, Lucy Natarajan. Ian, regular listeners will know, is…
The Power of Plans - Dublin [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:59
This episode is part of an international triumvirate, which has been put together with the help of old friend of the podcast, Ian Wray, and new friend of the podcast, Lucy Natarajan. Ian, regular listeners will know, is…
The Power of Plans - New York [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:59
This episode is part of an international triumvirate, which has been put together with the help of old friend of the podcast, Ian Wray, and new friend of the podcast, Lucy Natarajan. Ian, regular listeners will know, is…