The Mortar Bombs of Division

The Mortar Bombs of Division

Author: Samuel Stafford September 30, 2023 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, focuses on planning for the environment and specifically nutrient neutrality and net zero.

They talk less about the nuts and bolts, practical implications of the respective recent announcements in these areas (links below) and more about the political narrative. Thanks largely to Pete the conversation gets quite philosophical at times and Sam hopes that it is all the more interesting for that.

This being the 50 Shades of Planning podcast Listeners can though look forward to a little bit of housing target chat as well.

Some accompanying reading.

House of Lords Built Environment Committee’s report on the impact of environmental regulations on development

https://committees.parliament.uk/work/7328/the-impact-of-environmental-regulations-on-development/

Government neutrality update on 29 August

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nutrient-neutrality-announcement-explainer

Government neutrality update on 20 September

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nutrient-neutrality-update

Sunak to rip up green rules to build 140,000 homes despite Labour and Natural England opposition (£)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/09/23/rishi-sunak-majority-140k-homes-labour-nutrient-neutrality/

PM speech on Net Zero: 20 September 2023

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-speech-on-net-zero-20-september-2023

The affordability impacts of new housing supply: A summary of recent research

https://www.london.gov.uk/media/102314/download

How housing targets are stopping us building enough homes

https://longwall.substack.com/p/how-housing-targets-are-stopping

UK Green Building Council’s ‘Embodied Ecological Impacts knowledge Hub’

https://ukgbc.org/our-work/topics/embodied-ecological-impacts/

Require planning fees be ringfenced for planning services

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/643493

Small builders, big burdens

https://lichfields.uk/content/insights/small-builders-big-burdens

Southwark’s Land Commission

https://www.southwark.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/southwark-land-commission

Some accompanying viewing.

Richard Curtis uses Al Pacino’s Any Given Sunday speech to inspire global action on climate change

https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/richard-curtis-uses-al-pacinos-any-given-sunday-speech-to-inspire-global-action-on-climate-change-357182/

Some accompanying listening.

This can’t go on – Bill Ryder-Jones

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

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
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…
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…
An Engaging Conversation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:45
A little while ago Sam Stafford was approached by the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC), the professional membership body for clerks to town, parish and community councils across England and Wales, about contributin…